The crosstalk interaction of ethylene, gibberellins, and arbuscular mycorrhiza improves growth in salinized tomato plants by modulating the hormonal balance

Abstract

Ethylene (ET) and gibberellins (GAs) play key roles in controlling the biotic and abiotic interactions between plants and environment. To gain insights about the role of ET and GAs interactions in the mycorrization and response to salinity of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants, the ET-insensitive (Never-ripe, Nr), and the ET-overproducer (Epinastic, Epi) mutants and their wild type cv. Micro-Tom (MT), were inoculated or not with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) Rhizophagus irregularis and exposed to control (0 mM NaCl) and salinity (100 mM NaCl) conditions, with and without gibberellic acid (10⁻⁶ M GA₃) application during four weeks. Exogenous GA₃ enhanced plant growth irrespective of the genotype, AMF, and salinity conditions, while an additional effect on growth by AMF was only found in the ET-overproducer (Epi) mutant under control and salinity conditions. Epi almost doubled the AMF colonization level under both conditions but was the most affected by salinity and GA₃ application compared to MT and Nr. In contrast, Nr registered the lowest AMF colonization level, but GA₃ produced a positive effect, particularly under salinity, with the highest leaf growth recovery. Foliar GA₃ application increased the endogenous concentration of GA₁, GA₃, and total GAs, more intensively in AMF-Epi plants, where induced levels of the ET-precursor ACC were also found. Interestingly, GA₄ which is associated with AMF colonization, registered the strongest genotype x GA x AMF × salinity interactions. The different growth responses in relation to those interactions are discussed.