Pub Date : 2025-12-13DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106296
Susanna Cialli , Giulia Carmassi , Rita Maggini , Stefano Brizzolara , Antonio Ferrante , Luca Incrocci , Anna Mensuali , Alice Trivellini
Soil salinisation is one of the main abiotic stress factors threatening modern agriculture, with over 1.3 million hectares affected worldwide and causing a progressive loss of arable land. Tomatoes are among the most important horticultural crops globally, but its moderate salt tolerance restricts productivity in saline soils. Related wild species, such as Solanum pimpinellifolium L., which have evolved in high-salinity environments, represent a valuable resource for studying adaptive stress responses and improving cultivated tomatoes. This study compares the salt stress response of S. lycopersicum L. and S. pimpinellifolium L. to identify the processes underlying the higher tolerance in wild species. Plants were grown hydroponically in a closed-loop system using two nutrient solutions: one mimicking seawater irrigation (33 % seawater, EC = 21 dS m−1), and a salt-free control (0 % seawater, EC = 3.22 dS m−1). Phenological, morphological, biochemical, physiological and hormonal traits were assessed. Solanum pimpinellifolium L. effectively modulates the production of osmolytes and photoprotective compounds, the translocation of toxic ions, and improves leaf function which, in synergy with a more integrated and temporally coordinated hormonal network that sustain better growth, yield, and fruit quality under saline conditions. These findings provide new insights into the physiological basis of salt tolerance in wild tomato, supporting its value as a genetic resource and suggesting that seawater-based irrigation may serve as a framework for studying sustainable water management strategies.
{"title":"Physiological and hormonal responses underlying salinity tolerance in wild tomatoes: Insights for cultivated varieties","authors":"Susanna Cialli , Giulia Carmassi , Rita Maggini , Stefano Brizzolara , Antonio Ferrante , Luca Incrocci , Anna Mensuali , Alice Trivellini","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106296","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106296","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil salinisation is one of the main abiotic stress factors threatening modern agriculture, with over 1.3 million hectares affected worldwide and causing a progressive loss of arable land. Tomatoes are among the most important horticultural crops globally, but its moderate salt tolerance restricts productivity in saline soils. Related wild species, such as <em>Solanum pimpinellifolium</em> L., which have evolved in high-salinity environments, represent a valuable resource for studying adaptive stress responses and improving cultivated tomatoes. This study compares the salt stress response of <em>S. lycopersicum</em> L. and <em>S. pimpinellifolium</em> L. to identify the processes underlying the higher tolerance in wild species. Plants were grown hydroponically in a closed-loop system using two nutrient solutions: one mimicking seawater irrigation (33 % seawater, EC = 21 dS m<sup>−1</sup>), and a salt-free control (0 % seawater, EC = 3.22 dS m<sup>−1</sup>). Phenological, morphological, biochemical, physiological and hormonal traits were assessed. <em>Solanum pimpinellifolium</em> L. effectively modulates the production of osmolytes and photoprotective compounds, the translocation of toxic ions, and improves leaf function which, in synergy with a more integrated and temporally coordinated hormonal network that sustain better growth, yield, and fruit quality under saline conditions. These findings provide new insights into the physiological basis of salt tolerance in wild tomato, supporting its value as a genetic resource and suggesting that seawater-based irrigation may serve as a framework for studying sustainable water management strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106296"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106294
Gabriella Vinci , Alberto Calderan , Arianna Lodovici , Marianna Fasoli , Paolo Sivilotti , Laura Zanin
Water and nutrient availability strongly influence grapevine yield and wine quality. While the single effects of water deficit and nutrient deficiency have been extensively studied, their interaction remains poorly understood. Two-year-old Vitis vinifera L. cv ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ (near-anisohydric) and ‘Grenache’ (near-isohydric) plants grafted on SO4 were grown in pots under semi-environmental conditions. Plants were either maintained well-watered (100 % lysimeter evapotranspiration, ETlys) or subjected to water deficit (33 % ETlys) and treated with different nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) fertilization rates. Morpho-physiological analyses revealed that water deficit significantly reduced plant growth, with ‘Grenache’ exhibiting a slower growth rate than ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’. At flowering, water treatment was the dominant factor modulating plant response. Water deficit reduced stomatal conductance (gs), while enhancing accumulation of several nutrients. N and K fertilization became dominant factors during the following developmental stages: leaf ionomic composition of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ was responsive to N and K from veraison, and this behavior aligns with gs reduction caused by high N rather than water deficit. Conversely, the ionomic composition of ‘Grenache’ was affected by N and K only at maturity, while gs was consistently modulated by water availability throughout the season. K effects on leaf ionomic composition were more pronounced under high N. We highlighted the importance of both water and chemical inputs, whose effects vary with cultivar and developmental stage. Results will contribute to the improvement of viticultural sustainability by developing optimized fertilization strategies tailored to plant requirements under specific environmental conditions.
{"title":"Grapevine responses to water deficit and N x K fertilization: Seasonal variation of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ and ‘Grenache’ physiology","authors":"Gabriella Vinci , Alberto Calderan , Arianna Lodovici , Marianna Fasoli , Paolo Sivilotti , Laura Zanin","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106294","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106294","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water and nutrient availability strongly influence grapevine yield and wine quality. While the single effects of water deficit and nutrient deficiency have been extensively studied, their interaction remains poorly understood. Two-year-old <em>Vitis vinifera</em> L. cv ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ (near-anisohydric) and ‘Grenache’ (near-isohydric) plants grafted on SO4 were grown in pots under semi-environmental conditions. Plants were either maintained well-watered (100 % lysimeter evapotranspiration, ET<sub>lys</sub>) or subjected to water deficit (33 % ET<sub>lys</sub>) and treated with different nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) fertilization rates. Morpho-physiological analyses revealed that water deficit significantly reduced plant growth, with ‘Grenache’ exhibiting a slower growth rate than ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’. At flowering, water treatment was the dominant factor modulating plant response. Water deficit reduced stomatal conductance (g<sub>s</sub>), while enhancing accumulation of several nutrients. N and K fertilization became dominant factors during the following developmental stages: leaf ionomic composition of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ was responsive to N and K from veraison, and this behavior aligns with g<sub>s</sub> reduction caused by high N rather than water deficit. Conversely, the ionomic composition of ‘Grenache’ was affected by N and K only at maturity, while g<sub>s</sub> was consistently modulated by water availability throughout the season. K effects on leaf ionomic composition were more pronounced under high N. We highlighted the importance of both water and chemical inputs, whose effects vary with cultivar and developmental stage. Results will contribute to the improvement of viticultural sustainability by developing optimized fertilization strategies tailored to plant requirements under specific environmental conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106294"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106293
Dong Qiu , Yue Zhang , Xiao-Dong Ma , Ling Dai , Yuan-Yuan Zhang , Su-Su Wei , Okhonniyozov Mekhrovar , Xue-Xi Ma , Ye Tao
Mosses, as small-sized and structurally simple terrestrial pioneer plants, have gradually developed a series of key functional traits during their long evolutionary history to cope with diverse environmental stresses. However, our understanding of the environmental variability of moss functional traits at the community level, particularly in plateau mountain systems characterized by harsh conditions, remains limited. The eastern Pamir Plateau (China) was selected as the study area, where four vertical transects spanning different altitude ranges were established. Multiple community-level physiological traits and environmental factors were measured to explore the variation patterns of moss functional traits along altitude gradients and their underlying mechanisms. The results revealed that non-structural carbohydrates, antioxidant enzymes, osmotic regulatory substances, oxidative stress products, and photosynthetic pigments of mosses exhibited significant differences across altitude gradients (P < 0.05), showing distinct trends with increasing altitude. Plant Trait Networks (PTNs) displayed higher network densities at low- to mid-altitude ranges (2000–2500 m: 0.626; 2500–3000 m: 0.514; 3000–3500 m: 0.604), whereas the densities decreased at high altitudes (3500–4000 m: 0.343; 4000–4500 m: 0.341), indicating that PTN structures became looser with increasing altitude. Moreover, the central traits within PTNs shifted along the altitude gradient, following the order POD → Starch → MDA → SOD → SP. Hierarchical partitioning analysis showed that at 2000–3500 m, PTN central traits were primarily driven by climatic factors (38.60 %, 33.12 %, 42.14 %) and geographical-topographic factors (34.53 %, 37.40 %, 34.06 %). At 3500–4000 m, soil factors (47.68 %) and geographical-topographic factors (43.44 %) were the dominant drivers. At altitudes between 4000 and 4500 m, both climatic factors (43.55 %) and soil factors (43.01 %) jointly drive the variation. Multiple linear regression analysis further clarified the major influencing variables within each category. This study revealed systematic variations in moss functional traits and their network structures along an elevational gradient in alpine arid regions. The central trait regulatory mechanisms gradually shifted from being primarily governed by climate-topography interactions to being jointly driven by soil-climate coupling, reflecting adaptive responses of mosses to environmental gradient changes. Overall, these findings provide important insights into the functional adaptation mechanisms of moss communities in alpine arid climates and hold practical significance for ecosystem conservation in plateau regions.
{"title":"Altitude markedly influenced moss functional traits and trait associations at the community level in the eastern Pamir Plateau","authors":"Dong Qiu , Yue Zhang , Xiao-Dong Ma , Ling Dai , Yuan-Yuan Zhang , Su-Su Wei , Okhonniyozov Mekhrovar , Xue-Xi Ma , Ye Tao","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106293","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106293","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mosses, as small-sized and structurally simple terrestrial pioneer plants, have gradually developed a series of key functional traits during their long evolutionary history to cope with diverse environmental stresses. However, our understanding of the environmental variability of moss functional traits at the community level, particularly in plateau mountain systems characterized by harsh conditions, remains limited. The eastern Pamir Plateau (China) was selected as the study area, where four vertical transects spanning different altitude ranges were established. Multiple community-level physiological traits and environmental factors were measured to explore the variation patterns of moss functional traits along altitude gradients and their underlying mechanisms. The results revealed that non-structural carbohydrates, antioxidant enzymes, osmotic regulatory substances, oxidative stress products, and photosynthetic pigments of mosses exhibited significant differences across altitude gradients (<em>P</em> < 0.05), showing distinct trends with increasing altitude. Plant Trait Networks (PTNs) displayed higher network densities at low- to mid-altitude ranges (2000–2500 m: 0.626; 2500–3000 m: 0.514; 3000–3500 m: 0.604), whereas the densities decreased at high altitudes (3500–4000 m: 0.343; 4000–4500 m: 0.341), indicating that PTN structures became looser with increasing altitude. Moreover, the central traits within PTNs shifted along the altitude gradient, following the order POD → Starch → MDA → SOD → SP. Hierarchical partitioning analysis showed that at 2000–3500 m, PTN central traits were primarily driven by climatic factors (38.60 %, 33.12 %, 42.14 %) and geographical-topographic factors (34.53 %, 37.40 %, 34.06 %). At 3500–4000 m, soil factors (47.68 %) and geographical-topographic factors (43.44 %) were the dominant drivers. At altitudes between 4000 and 4500 m, both climatic factors (43.55 %) and soil factors (43.01 %) jointly drive the variation. Multiple linear regression analysis further clarified the major influencing variables within each category. This study revealed systematic variations in moss functional traits and their network structures along an elevational gradient in alpine arid regions. The central trait regulatory mechanisms gradually shifted from being primarily governed by climate-topography interactions to being jointly driven by soil-climate coupling, reflecting adaptive responses of mosses to environmental gradient changes. Overall, these findings provide important insights into the functional adaptation mechanisms of moss communities in alpine arid climates and hold practical significance for ecosystem conservation in plateau regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106293"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145734452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106292
Weihe Shen , Shuanglan Li , Binghan Zhou , Jinglin Li , Yaxin Dong , Ruihua Liu , Qian Shen , Shaodong Liu , Huijuan Ma , Siping Zhang , Chaoyou Pang , Changwei Ge
Low temperature (12 ℃) is an abiotic stress factor that adversely affects cotton yield and fiber quality. Exposure to low-temperature stress during seed germination and seedling emergence significantly reduces crop productivity. In this study, 383 cotton germplasms were subjected to low-temperature stress, and the variation in seven seedling emergence-related phenotypic traits, including germination rate, was determined. Through genome-wide association analysis (GWAS), we identified 331 significantly associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci, which were mapped to traits including hypocotyl length, total seedling length, dry weight, and germination rate. Notably, a quantitative trait locus (QTL) associated with hypocotyl length was identified on chromosome A08 (51.91–51.93 Mb). Further analysis revealed that this significant genomic region harbors polymorphic sites within the promoter of GhD6PKL2. Transcriptome sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) further revealed significant differences in this gene's expression levels across distinct haplotypes. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of GhD6PKL2 demonstrated that TRV2: GhD6PKL2 plants exhibited hypocotyl elongation under low-temperature treatment, accompanied by reduced cotton germination rates,indicating that this gene positively regulates cold resistance in cotton. This study provides valuable theoretical foundations for the breeding and improvement of low-temperature tolerant cotton varieties.
Summary Comment
This study investigated the genetic basis of low-temperature tolerance in cotton by analyzing 383 germplasms under 12°C stress, which revealed 331 significant SNP loci associated with seedling emergence traits. A major QTL on chromosome A08 (51.91–51.93 Mb) was correlated with hypocotyl length, and the GhD6PKL2 gene was identified as a critical regulator.
{"title":"Genome-wide association analysis revealed that GhD6PKL2 regulates cold tolerance at seed germination and seedling emergence in cotton","authors":"Weihe Shen , Shuanglan Li , Binghan Zhou , Jinglin Li , Yaxin Dong , Ruihua Liu , Qian Shen , Shaodong Liu , Huijuan Ma , Siping Zhang , Chaoyou Pang , Changwei Ge","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106292","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106292","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Low temperature (12 ℃) is an abiotic stress factor that adversely affects cotton yield and fiber quality. Exposure to low-temperature stress during seed germination and seedling emergence significantly reduces crop productivity. In this study, 383 cotton germplasms were subjected to low-temperature stress, and the variation in seven seedling emergence-related phenotypic traits, including germination rate, was determined. Through genome-wide association analysis (GWAS), we identified 331 significantly associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci, which were mapped to traits including hypocotyl length, total seedling length, dry weight, and germination rate. Notably, a quantitative trait locus (QTL) associated with hypocotyl length was identified on chromosome A08 (51.91–51.93 Mb). Further analysis revealed that this significant genomic region harbors polymorphic sites within the promoter of <em>GhD6PKL2</em>. Transcriptome sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) further revealed significant differences in this gene's expression levels across distinct haplotypes. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of <em>GhD6PKL2</em> demonstrated that TRV2: <em>GhD6PKL2</em> plants exhibited hypocotyl elongation under low-temperature treatment, accompanied by reduced cotton germination rates,indicating that this gene positively regulates cold resistance in cotton. This study provides valuable theoretical foundations for the breeding and improvement of low-temperature tolerant cotton varieties.</div></div><div><h3>Summary Comment</h3><div>This study investigated the genetic basis of low-temperature tolerance in cotton by analyzing 383 germplasms under 12°C stress, which revealed 331 significant SNP loci associated with seedling emergence traits. A major QTL on chromosome A08 (51.91–51.93 Mb) was correlated with hypocotyl length, and the <em>GhD6PKL2</em> gene was identified as a critical regulator.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106292"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145734453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106291
XingLin Wang , MingHui Li , Xiaoxue He , Yanan Li , Shuai Pei , Ziqi Wang , Hongyan Qi , Yiling Liu
Melon (Cucumis melo) is one of major commercial crop in facility cultivation. However, continuous cropping, excessive organic fertilizer application, heightened microbial activity, and plastic film mulching often lead to rhizosphere CO2 accumulation during production. Previous studies have demonstrated that short-term elevated rhizosphere CO2 significantly promote melon growth. While the carbon secondary assimilation products and key secondary metabolic mechanisms that promote the growth of melon seedlings under ER-CO2 unclear. Therefore, we investigated carbon assimilation, allocation, and secondary metabolism of melon seedlings under elevated rhizosphere CO2 through physiological, 13C-isotope labeling and metabolic flux analyses. Results indicated that δ13C values and 13C assimilation rates in roots and leaves initially increased (peaking at 48 h) and then declined. Non-targeted 13C metabolic flux and metabolite content analyses demonstrated that differential metabolites of melon seedlings were significantly enriched in tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and phenylpropanoid metabolism. qRT-PCR confirmed short-term Elevated Rhizosphere CO₂ (ER-CO2) up-regulated CmPEPC, CmMDH, CmPEPCK and CmCS while down-regulated CmIDH and CmACO in the TCA cycle. Concurrently, negative feedback mechanism was activated to up-regulate CmPEPCK expression, thereby facilitating carbon partitioning, which ultimately up-regulated the genes of flavonoid pathway in phenylpropanoid metabolism (CmSDH, CmPAL and CmCHS) and promoted the accumulation of flavonoids. Flavonoid metabolites contributed to the favorable cellular environment for the growth of melon seedlings by enhancing the endogenous antioxidant defense system through both direct and indirect pathways while maintaining ROS accumulation of signaling levels. This study provides a theoretical foundation for optimizing the regulation of adverse rhizosphere conditions in facility-grown oriental melons.
{"title":"Short-term elevated rhizosphere CO₂ enhances antioxidant capacity in facility melon seedlings by promoting flavonoids accumulation","authors":"XingLin Wang , MingHui Li , Xiaoxue He , Yanan Li , Shuai Pei , Ziqi Wang , Hongyan Qi , Yiling Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106291","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106291","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Melon (<em>Cucumis melo</em>) is one of major commercial crop in facility cultivation. However, continuous cropping, excessive organic fertilizer application, heightened microbial activity, and plastic film mulching often lead to rhizosphere CO<sub>2</sub> accumulation during production. Previous studies have demonstrated that short-term elevated rhizosphere CO<sub>2</sub> significantly promote melon growth. While the carbon secondary assimilation products and key secondary metabolic mechanisms that promote the growth of melon seedlings under ER-CO<sub>2</sub> unclear. Therefore, we investigated carbon assimilation, allocation, and secondary metabolism of melon seedlings under elevated rhizosphere CO<sub>2</sub> through physiological, <sup>13</sup>C-isotope labeling and metabolic flux analyses. Results indicated that δ<sup>13</sup>C values and <sup>13</sup>C assimilation rates in roots and leaves initially increased (peaking at 48 h) and then declined. Non-targeted <sup>13</sup>C metabolic flux and metabolite content analyses demonstrated that differential metabolites of melon seedlings were significantly enriched in tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and phenylpropanoid metabolism. qRT-PCR confirmed short-term Elevated Rhizosphere CO₂ (ER-CO<sub>2</sub>) up-regulated <em>CmPEPC, CmMDH, CmPEPCK</em> and <em>CmCS</em> while down-regulated <em>CmIDH</em> and <em>CmACO</em> in the TCA cycle. Concurrently, negative feedback mechanism was activated to up-regulate <em>CmPEPCK</em> expression, thereby facilitating carbon partitioning, which ultimately up-regulated the genes of flavonoid pathway in phenylpropanoid metabolism (<em>CmSDH, CmPAL and CmCHS</em>) and promoted the accumulation of flavonoids. Flavonoid metabolites contributed to the favorable cellular environment for the growth of melon seedlings by enhancing the endogenous antioxidant defense system through both direct and indirect pathways while maintaining ROS accumulation of signaling levels. This study provides a theoretical foundation for optimizing the regulation of adverse rhizosphere conditions in facility-grown oriental melons.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106291"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145734451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-02DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106290
Alexey Shapiguzov , Matleena Punkkinen , Tuomo Laine , Satu Engström , Pedro J. Aphalo , Hamid Khazaei
Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is a key protein crop, but its cultivation and yield stability are hindered by a number of environmental stresses. Stomata regulate gas exchange between the plant and atmosphere, playing a central role in photosynthesis and mediating plant responses to a wide range of environmental stressors. This study aimed to investigate variations in photosynthetic regulation in faba bean, and to examine leaf temperature and the response to short-term acute ozone (O₃) exposure as proxies for stomatal function. Here, we used a high-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) platform to screen 196 faba bean genotypes for photosynthetic and stomatal function under controlled conditions. A subset of extreme genotypes, identified based on relative leaf tempreture from the initial screening, was exposed to a 450 ppb O₃ treatment. Our results revealed strong positive relationship between photosynthetic efficiency and relative leaf temperature. A three-fold difference in relative leaf temperature was observed among genotypes. The O₃ treatment caused signicantly less damage in genotypes with higher leaf temperature compared to those with lower leaf temperature (p < 0.001). By combining a HTPP platform with elevated O₃ stress treatment, we identified faba bean genotypes with contrasting stomatal responses to the O₃ exposure. Our results advance understanding of the regulation mechanisms of photosynthetic light reactions and the role of stomatal function in modulating faba bean responses to environmental stressors.
{"title":"Linking stomatal function with photosynthetic light reactions and stress response in faba bean","authors":"Alexey Shapiguzov , Matleena Punkkinen , Tuomo Laine , Satu Engström , Pedro J. Aphalo , Hamid Khazaei","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106290","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106290","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Faba bean (<em>Vicia faba</em> L.) is a key protein crop, but its cultivation and yield stability are hindered by a number of environmental stresses. Stomata regulate gas exchange between the plant and atmosphere, playing a central role in photosynthesis and mediating plant responses to a wide range of environmental stressors. This study aimed to investigate variations in photosynthetic regulation in faba bean, and to examine leaf temperature and the response to short-term acute ozone (O₃) exposure as proxies for stomatal function. Here, we used a high-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) platform to screen 196 faba bean genotypes for photosynthetic and stomatal function under controlled conditions. A subset of extreme genotypes, identified based on relative leaf tempreture from the initial screening, was exposed to a 450 ppb O₃ treatment. Our results revealed strong positive relationship between photosynthetic efficiency and relative leaf temperature. A three-fold difference in relative leaf temperature was observed among genotypes. The O₃ treatment caused signicantly less damage in genotypes with higher leaf temperature compared to those with lower leaf temperature (p < 0.001). By combining a HTPP platform with elevated O₃ stress treatment, we identified faba bean genotypes with contrasting stomatal responses to the O₃ exposure. Our results advance understanding of the regulation mechanisms of photosynthetic light reactions and the role of stomatal function in modulating faba bean responses to environmental stressors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106290"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145683294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106279
Chenglin Wang , Che Sun , Ke Ning , Shan He , Xin Hua , Jiayu Guo , Yuting Lin , Lanlan Zheng , Yonghong Zhang , Lei You , Zheyong Xue , Chen Li , Juan Liu , Xihua Li
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), a persistent organic pollutant, poses significant environmental risks due to its widespread contamination of agricultural systems. However, its phytotoxic mechanisms on Arabidopsis root growth and regeneration remain incompletely understood. In this study, we systematically investigated PFOS phytotoxicity and revealed its multimodal inhibitory effects on root growth, stem cell maintenance and regeneration. Our results demonstrated that PFOS exposure induced concentration-dependent reductions in primary root length, meristem size, and meristematic cortex cell number. Crucially, we observed downregulation of PLT2 expression in the root stem cell niche, whereas the auxin transporters PIN1/PIN2 and other key stem cell regulators (SHR, SCR, PLT1) remained largely unaltered under PFOS stress. This suppression of PLT2 correlated with both meristem dysfunction and impaired regeneration capacity. Furthermore, PFOS triggered oxidative stress and promoted root cell death. Taken together, these findings provide crucial insights into the mechanisms of PFOS phytotoxicity. The discovery of PLT2-mediated effects offers new perspectives for understanding how pollutants affect plant development and regeneration.
{"title":"PFOS effects on root stem cell maintenance and regeneration by suppressing the stem cell factor PLT2","authors":"Chenglin Wang , Che Sun , Ke Ning , Shan He , Xin Hua , Jiayu Guo , Yuting Lin , Lanlan Zheng , Yonghong Zhang , Lei You , Zheyong Xue , Chen Li , Juan Liu , Xihua Li","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106279","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106279","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), a persistent organic pollutant, poses significant environmental risks due to its widespread contamination of agricultural systems. However, its phytotoxic mechanisms on Arabidopsis root growth and regeneration remain incompletely understood. In this study, we systematically investigated PFOS phytotoxicity and revealed its multimodal inhibitory effects on root growth, stem cell maintenance and regeneration. Our results demonstrated that PFOS exposure induced concentration-dependent reductions in primary root length, meristem size, and meristematic cortex cell number. Crucially, we observed downregulation of PLT2 expression in the root stem cell niche, whereas the auxin transporters PIN1/PIN2 and other key stem cell regulators (SHR, SCR, PLT1) remained largely unaltered under PFOS stress. This suppression of PLT2 correlated with both meristem dysfunction and impaired regeneration capacity. Furthermore, PFOS triggered oxidative stress and promoted root cell death. Taken together, these findings provide crucial insights into the mechanisms of PFOS phytotoxicity. The discovery of PLT2-mediated effects offers new perspectives for understanding how pollutants affect plant development and regeneration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 106279"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106278
Fangyu Liu , Linhe Sun , Yunhan Li , Yangyang Deng , Jixiang Liu , Wei Wang , Jinfeng Li , Zhengnan Zhang , Yingchun Xu , Yajun Chang , Yaoyao Wu , Jian Cui , Dongrui Yao
The global expansion of water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes) endangers water ecological security and high-quality economic development; moreover, its invasion mechanism at the genomic and molecular levels remains unclear. Here, a high-quality, chromosome-level genome of water hyacinth (1.25 Gb; N50 = 80.91 Mb) was assembled for the first time. Of the 59,361 genes, 64,988 transcripts were annotated using transcriptome data from five distinct water hyacinth tissues. Compared to the allied species Pontederia cordata, one more whole-genome duplication event occurred approximately 4 Mya. Gene families related to P metabolic pathways have significantly expanded during evolution. Nine of the twenty-two differentially expressed genes between stolons and other tissues were involved in P metabolism, including four genes that encode purple acid phosphatases (PAPs). Under 2.0 P, water hyacinth ramets exhibited a 1.4-fold increase compared to those under 1.0 P during the 40-day culture. Acid phosphatase content in roots significantly increased from 219.42 ± 78.10 U/g under P deficiency stress to 44.89 ± 15.23 U/g under P-sufficient water (p < 0.05). Organic P can restore water hyacinth growth under P deficiency. Subcellular localisation showed that PcPAP19 and PcPAP53 were located in the cell membrane. Thus, PcPAPs play a key role in P regulation during water hyacinth growth. These findings demonstrate how the assembled genome advances understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying P-use efficiency and proliferation in plants.
{"title":"Genome-enabled phosphorus acquisition strategy drives the rapid reproduction of water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes) leading to global invasion","authors":"Fangyu Liu , Linhe Sun , Yunhan Li , Yangyang Deng , Jixiang Liu , Wei Wang , Jinfeng Li , Zhengnan Zhang , Yingchun Xu , Yajun Chang , Yaoyao Wu , Jian Cui , Dongrui Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106278","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106278","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global expansion of water hyacinth (<em>Pontederia crassipes</em>) endangers water ecological security and high-quality economic development; moreover, its invasion mechanism at the genomic and molecular levels remains unclear. Here, a high-quality, chromosome-level genome of water hyacinth (1.25 Gb; N50 = 80.91 Mb) was assembled for the first time. Of the 59,361 genes, 64,988 transcripts were annotated using transcriptome data from five distinct water hyacinth tissues. Compared to the allied species <em>Pontederia cordata</em>, one more whole-genome duplication event occurred approximately 4 Mya. Gene families related to P metabolic pathways have significantly expanded during evolution. Nine of the twenty-two differentially expressed genes between stolons and other tissues were involved in P metabolism, including four genes that encode purple acid phosphatases (PAPs). Under 2.0 P, water hyacinth ramets exhibited a 1.4-fold increase compared to those under 1.0 P during the 40-day culture. Acid phosphatase content in roots significantly increased from 219.42 ± 78.10 U/g under P deficiency stress to 44.89 ± 15.23 U/g under P-sufficient water (p < 0.05). Organic P can restore water hyacinth growth under P deficiency. Subcellular localisation showed that PcPAP19 and PcPAP53 were located in the cell membrane. Thus, PcPAPs play a key role in P regulation during water hyacinth growth. These findings demonstrate how the assembled genome advances understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying P-use efficiency and proliferation in plants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 106278"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106282
Shujuan Xue , Kun Li , Heng Zhang , Shican Xu , Yunfeng Dou , Luyao Li , Yuxin Ning , Xiao Wang , Kunpeng Jia , Jose R. Botella , Yuchen Miao
Plant leaf stomata serve as primary conduits for gas exchange while simultaneously mediating immune responses against phyllosphere pathogen infection and colonization. However, the contribution of stomatal responses to interactions between plants and the rhizosphere pathogen Verticillium dahliae (V. dahliae) remains poorly understood. Our results show that inoculation of cotton roots with V. dahliae induces rapid stomatal closure preceding pathogen colonization of leaves, which is associated with elevated levels of second messengers including hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), cytosolic calcium (Ca²⁺), and nitric oxide (NO). Transcriptomic analyses reveal that hormone signaling pathways predominantly govern stomatal-mediated immunity. Specifically, accumulation of endogenous salicylic acid (SA) promotes stomatal closure in an abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent manner in response to V. dahliae infection. Live imaging indicates that during early infection stages, stomatal opening facilitates increased V. dahliae colonization and disease progression, highlighting the important function of stomatal dynamics and hydraulic regulation in V. dahliae-cotton interactions. Our findings establish a link between stomata and V. dahliae infection, providing a new understanding of stomatal biology in the context of plant-rhizosphere pathogen interactions. Further understanding of the stomatal response to V. dahliae infection may provide new strategies to enhance Verticillium wilt resistance in cotton.
{"title":"Abscisic acid plays a pivotal role in stomatal defense at the early infection of Verticillium dahliae in Gossypium hirsutum","authors":"Shujuan Xue , Kun Li , Heng Zhang , Shican Xu , Yunfeng Dou , Luyao Li , Yuxin Ning , Xiao Wang , Kunpeng Jia , Jose R. Botella , Yuchen Miao","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106282","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106282","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant leaf stomata serve as primary conduits for gas exchange while simultaneously mediating immune responses against phyllosphere pathogen infection and colonization. However, the contribution of stomatal responses to interactions between plants and the rhizosphere pathogen <em>Verticillium dahliae</em> (<em>V. dahliae</em>) remains poorly understood. Our results show that inoculation of cotton roots with <em>V. dahliae</em> induces rapid stomatal closure preceding pathogen colonization of leaves, which is associated with elevated levels of second messengers including hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>), cytosolic calcium (Ca²⁺), and nitric oxide (NO). Transcriptomic analyses reveal that hormone signaling pathways predominantly govern stomatal-mediated immunity. Specifically, accumulation of endogenous salicylic acid (SA) promotes stomatal closure in an abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent manner in response to <em>V. dahliae</em> infection. Live imaging indicates that during early infection stages, stomatal opening facilitates increased <em>V. dahliae</em> colonization and disease progression, highlighting the important function of stomatal dynamics and hydraulic regulation in <em>V. dahliae</em>-cotton interactions. Our findings establish a link between stomata and <em>V. dahliae</em> infection, providing a new understanding of stomatal biology in the context of plant-rhizosphere pathogen interactions. Further understanding of the stomatal response to <em>V. dahliae</em> infection may provide new strategies to enhance <em>Verticillium</em> wilt resistance in cotton.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 106282"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106276
Jakub Styburski , Kaja Skubała
Lichens can utilise nitrogen in molecular, reduced, and oxidized forms, but they preferentially use ammonium due to low energetic cost of its assimilation. The effects of ammonium on lichen physiology have been extensively studied, whereas much less is known about lichen responses to nitrate. Lichens depend on external water sources to hydrate the thallus, which triggers metabolic activity essential for dealing with environmental stress. We aimed to determine the effect of exposure to nitrate under different humidity conditions on the physiological response, as well as ammonium and nitrate accumulation in Xanthoria parietina. Lichen samples were exposed to nitrate for 30 days under two humidity conditions, with physiological traits measured before and after the experiment. Our study demonstrated that air humidity and the related time of thallus hydration strongly influenced the physiological response of X. parietina. Lichens exposed to high air humidity maintained hydration for longer, which extended the period of potential metabolic activity. This contributed to low oxidative stress and high water-soluble protein concentrations. Conversely, nitrate exposure under low-humidity conditions triggered oxidative stress due to the accumulation of toxic ammonia in cells. Lichens were able to take up nitrate ions; however, their ability to assimilate these ions remains unclear. The revealed pattern suggests that the duration of metabolic activity may be a critical factor in determining lichen resilience to nitrate stress. Our results have important implications in the context of climate change, in which water availability is becoming increasingly unpredictable, suggesting that metabolic activity sustained under favourable moisture conditions may be critical for maintaining lichen physiological performance.
{"title":"Hydration-driven metabolic activity enhances the resilience of Xanthoria parietina (L.) Th. Fr. to nitrate stress","authors":"Jakub Styburski , Kaja Skubała","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106276","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106276","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lichens can utilise nitrogen in molecular, reduced, and oxidized forms, but they preferentially use ammonium due to low energetic cost of its assimilation. The effects of ammonium on lichen physiology have been extensively studied, whereas much less is known about lichen responses to nitrate. Lichens depend on external water sources to hydrate the thallus, which triggers metabolic activity essential for dealing with environmental stress. We aimed to determine the effect of exposure to nitrate under different humidity conditions on the physiological response, as well as ammonium and nitrate accumulation in <em>Xanthoria parietina</em>. Lichen samples were exposed to nitrate for 30 days under two humidity conditions, with physiological traits measured before and after the experiment. Our study demonstrated that air humidity and the related time of thallus hydration strongly influenced the physiological response of <em>X. parietina</em>. Lichens exposed to high air humidity maintained hydration for longer, which extended the period of potential metabolic activity. This contributed to low oxidative stress and high water-soluble protein concentrations. Conversely, nitrate exposure under low-humidity conditions triggered oxidative stress due to the accumulation of toxic ammonia in cells. Lichens were able to take up nitrate ions; however, their ability to assimilate these ions remains unclear. The revealed pattern suggests that the duration of metabolic activity may be a critical factor in determining lichen resilience to nitrate stress. Our results have important implications in the context of climate change, in which water availability is becoming increasingly unpredictable, suggesting that metabolic activity sustained under favourable moisture conditions may be critical for maintaining lichen physiological performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 106276"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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