Abstract
Salt stress affects the growth and development of plants, which results in a decrease in crop quality and yield. In this study, we used tomato seedlings treated with salt and trehalose as experimental materials and analyzed them using the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution analysis to select the optimal trehalose concentration for treatment. We also determined the contents of sugar and abscisic acid (ABA) and detected the expression of genes involved in the metabolism of sugar and ABA by quantitative real-time PCR. Results showed that the optimal trehalose concentration was 2 mmol/L for tomato seedlings under salt stress. Exogenous trehalose decreased the starch content and increased the soluble sugar content by affecting the expression of genes related to the metabolism of starch and soluble sugar. Exogenous trehalose altered the accumulation and distribution of sugar by inducing the upregulation of sugar transporter genes. Furthermore, trehalose increased the ABA content to induce salt stress response by regulating the expression of genes related to the synthesis and metabolism of ABA. In conclusion, trehalose can effectively alleviate salt stress and enhance salt tolerance of tomato. These findings provide a novel perspective and a better resource to investigate the salt tolerance mechanism and a new method for alleviating salt stress in tomato.
Highlights
In recent years, increasing research attention has been paid to salt stress that can affect the growth and development of plants, especially in the stage of seed germination [1, 2]
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of trehalose on salt stress and the interaction between sugar metabolism and trehalose on regulating the response to salt stress in tomato, which could provide a theoretical basis for improving crop yield, salt tolerance of plants, and the utilization rate of saline–alkali land in agricultural research
The tomato leaves exhibited a withering state, and the plant height, fresh mass, and the relative water content (RWC) of the leaves were significantly reduced as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively
Summary
In recent years, increasing research attention has been paid to salt stress that can affect the growth and development of plants, especially in the stage of seed germination [1, 2]. Soluble sugars as osmoprotectants help in the alleviation of the negative effects of salt on plants. The amount of trehalose present in plants is extremely low, and excessive accumulation of trehalose can affect the metabolism of normal carbohydrates in plants and even inhibit their growth [9,10,11]. Trehalose produces a marked effect primarily in the form of signaling molecules under stress conditions [12]. Garcia et al [15] reported in 1997 that when rice was exposed to
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