1
|
Campos EVR, Pereira ADES, Aleksieienko I, do Carmo GC, Gohari G, Santaella C, Fraceto LF, Oliveira HC. Encapsulated plant growth regulators and associative microorganisms: Nature-based solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change on plants. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 331:111688. [PMID: 36963636 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decades, the atmospheric CO2 concentration and global average temperature have been increasing, and this trend is projected to soon become more severe. This scenario of climate change intensifies abiotic stress factors (such as drought, flooding, salinity, and ultraviolet radiation) that threaten forest and associated ecosystems as well as crop production. These factors can negatively affect plant growth and development with a consequent reduction in plant biomass accumulation and yield, in addition to increasing plant susceptibility to biotic stresses. Recently, biostimulants have become a hotspot as an effective and sustainable alternative to alleviate the negative effects of stresses on plants. However, the majority of biostimulants have poor stability under environmental conditions, which leads to premature degradation, shortening their biological activity. To solve these bottlenecks, micro- and nano-based formulations containing biostimulant molecules and/or microorganisms are gaining attention, as they demonstrate several advantages over their conventional formulations. In this review, we focus on the encapsulation of plant growth regulators and plant associative microorganisms as a strategy to boost their application for plant protection against abiotic stresses. We also address the potential limitations and challenges faced for the implementation of this technology, as well as possibilities regarding future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Estefânia V R Campos
- Institute of Science and Technology of Sorocaba, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Av. Três de Março 511, 18087-180 Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil; B.Nano Soluções Tecnológicas Ltda, Rua Dr. Júlio Prestes, 355,18230-000 São Miguel Arcanjo, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Anderson do E S Pereira
- Institute of Science and Technology of Sorocaba, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Av. Três de Março 511, 18087-180 Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil; B.Nano Soluções Tecnológicas Ltda, Rua Dr. Júlio Prestes, 355,18230-000 São Miguel Arcanjo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ivan Aleksieienko
- Aix Marseille University, CEA, CNRS, BIAM, LEMiRE, Microbial Ecology of the Rhizosphere, ECCOREV FR 3098, F-13108 Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Giovanna C do Carmo
- Department of Animal and Plant Biology, State University of Londrina (UEL), PR 445, Km 380, 86057-970 Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Gholamreza Gohari
- Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran
| | - Catherine Santaella
- Aix Marseille University, CEA, CNRS, BIAM, LEMiRE, Microbial Ecology of the Rhizosphere, ECCOREV FR 3098, F-13108 Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Leonardo F Fraceto
- Institute of Science and Technology of Sorocaba, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Av. Três de Março 511, 18087-180 Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Halley C Oliveira
- Department of Animal and Plant Biology, State University of Londrina (UEL), PR 445, Km 380, 86057-970 Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pagano A, Macovei A, Balestrazzi A. Molecular dynamics of seed priming at the crossroads between basic and applied research. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2023; 42:657-688. [PMID: 36780009 PMCID: PMC9924218 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-023-02988-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The potential of seed priming is still not fully exploited. Our limited knowledge of the molecular dynamics of seed pre-germinative metabolism is the main hindrance to more effective new-generation techniques. Climate change and other recent global crises are disrupting food security. To cope with the current demand for increased food, feed, and biofuel production, while preserving sustainability, continuous technological innovation should be provided to the agri-food sector. Seed priming, a pre-sowing technique used to increase seed vigor, has become a valuable tool due to its potential to enhance germination and stress resilience under changing environments. Successful priming protocols result from the ability to properly act on the seed pre-germinative metabolism and stimulate events that are crucial for seed quality. However, the technique still requires constant optimization, and researchers are committed to addressing some key open questions to overcome such drawbacks. In this review, an update of the current scientific and technical knowledge related to seed priming is provided. The rehydration-dehydration cycle associated with priming treatments can be described in terms of metabolic pathways that are triggered, modulated, or turned off, depending on the seed physiological stage. Understanding the ways seed priming affects, either positively or negatively, such metabolic pathways and impacts gene expression and protein/metabolite accumulation/depletion represents an essential step toward the identification of novel seed quality hallmarks. The need to expand the basic knowledge on the molecular mechanisms ruling the seed response to priming is underlined along with the strong potential of applied research on primed seeds as a source of seed quality hallmarks. This route will hasten the implementation of seed priming techniques needed to support sustainable agriculture systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Pagano
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology 'L. Spallanzani', Via Ferrata 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Anca Macovei
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology 'L. Spallanzani', Via Ferrata 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133, Palermo, Italy
| | - Alma Balestrazzi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology 'L. Spallanzani', Via Ferrata 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133, Palermo, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Matušková V, Zatloukal M, Pospíšil T, Voller J, Vylíčilová H, Doležal K, Strnad M. From synthesis to the biological effect of isoprenoid 2'-deoxyriboside and 2',3'-dideoxyriboside cytokinin analogues. PHYTOCHEMISTRY 2023; 205:113481. [PMID: 36283448 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2022.113481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Isoprenoid cytokinins are a class of naturally occurring plant signaling molecules. A series of prepared compounds derived from isoprenoid cytokinins (isopentenyladenine, trans-zeatin and cis-zeatin) with attached 2'-deoxy-d-ribose or 2',3'-dideoxy-d-ribose at the N9 position of the purine were prepared and their biological activities were examined. Different synthetic approaches were employed. The final compounds were characterized with variety of physicochemical methods (TLC, HPLC-MS, and NMR) and their cytokinin activity was determined in classical bioassays such as Amaranthus, tobacco callus, detached wheat leaf senescence and Arabidopsis thaliana root elongation inhibition assay. In addition, compounds were screened for activation of the cytokinin signaling pathway (bacterial receptor, competitive ligand binding and ARR5::GUS assay) to provide a detailed assessment of CK structure-activity relationship. The prepared compounds were found to be non-toxic to human cells and the majority of assays exhibited the highest activity of free bases while 2',3'-dideoxyribosides had very weak or no activity. In contrast to the free bases, all 2'-deoxyriboside derivatives were not toxic to tobacco callus even at the highest tested concentration (10-4 moL/l) and compound 1 (iPdR) induced betacyanin synthesis at higher concentration even stronger than iP free base in the Amaranthus bioassay. The general cytokinin activity pattern base > riboside >2'-deoxyriboside > 2',3'-dideoxyriboside was distinguished.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vlasta Matušková
- Department of Chemical Biology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 241/27, CZ-78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic.
| | - Marek Zatloukal
- Department of Chemical Biology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 241/27, CZ-78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Pospíšil
- Department of Chemical Biology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 241/27, CZ-78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Voller
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 241/27, CZ-78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Vylíčilová
- Department of Chemical Biology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 241/27, CZ-78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Doležal
- Department of Chemical Biology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 241/27, CZ-78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic; Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Faculty of Science, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 241/27, CZ-78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Strnad
- Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Faculty of Science, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 241/27, CZ-78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dong L, Wu Y, Zhang J, Deng X, Wang T. Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Hormone Pathways and bZIP Genes Responsive to Decapitation in Sunflower. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13101737. [PMID: 36292622 PMCID: PMC9601282 DOI: 10.3390/genes13101737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Decapitation is an essential agricultural practice and is a typical method for analyzing shoot branching. However, it is unclear exactly how decapitation controls branching. In this study, the decapitation of sunflower plants led to the development of lateral buds, accompanied by a decrease in indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) levels and an increase in cytokinin (CK) levels. Additionally, 82 members of the HabZIP family were discovered and categorized into 9 groups, using phylogenetic and conservative domain analysis. The intron/exon structure and motif compositions of HabZIP members were also investigated. Based on tissue-specific expression and expression analysis following decapitation derived from the transcriptome, several HabZIP members may be involved in controlling decapitation-induced bud outgrowth. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the dynamic variations in hormone levels, in conjunction with particular HabZIP genes, led to the development of axillary buds in sunflowers following decapitation.
Collapse
|
5
|
Jindal S, Kerchev P, Berka M, Černý M, Botta HK, Laxmi A, Brzobohatý B. Type-A response regulators negatively mediate heat stress response by altering redox homeostasis in Arabidopsis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:968139. [PMID: 36212299 PMCID: PMC9539118 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.968139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Besides the long-standing role of cytokinins (CKs) as growth regulators, their current positioning at the interface of development and stress responses is coming into recognition. The current evidence suggests the notion that CKs are involved in heat stress response (HSR), however, the role of CK signaling components is still elusive. In this study, we have identified a role of the CK signaling components type-A Arabidopsis response regulators (ARRs) in HSR in Arabidopsis. The mutants of multiple type-A ARR genes exhibit improved basal and acquired thermotolerance and, altered response to oxidative stress in our physiological analyses. Through proteomics profiling, we show that the type-A arr mutants experience a 'stress-primed' state enabling them to respond more efficiently upon exposure to real stress stimuli. A substantial number of proteins that are involved in the heat-acclimatization process such as the proteins related to cellular redox status and heat shock, are already altered in the type-A arr mutants without a prior exposure to stress conditions. The metabolomics analyses further reveal that the mutants accumulate higher amounts of α-and γ-tocopherols, which are important antioxidants for protection against oxidative damage. Collectively, our results suggest that the type-A ARRs play an important role in heat stress response by affecting the redox homeostasis in Arabidopsis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sunita Jindal
- Department of Molecular Biology and Radiobiology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czechia
| | - Pavel Kerchev
- Department of Molecular Biology and Radiobiology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czechia
| | - Miroslav Berka
- Department of Molecular Biology and Radiobiology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czechia
| | - Martin Černý
- Department of Molecular Biology and Radiobiology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czechia
| | | | - Ashverya Laxmi
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Břetislav Brzobohatý
- Department of Molecular Biology and Radiobiology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czechia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Uniyal S, Bhandari M, Singh P, Singh RK, Tiwari SP. Cytokinin biosynthesis in cyanobacteria: Insights for crop improvement. Front Genet 2022; 13:933226. [PMID: 36160007 PMCID: PMC9504062 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.933226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytokinins, a type of phytohormones that induce division of cytoplasm, have considerable value in agriculture due to their influences on several physiological processes of plants such as morphogenesis, development of chloroplast, seed dormancy, leaf senescence, etc. Previously, it was assumed that plants obtain cytokinin from the soil produced by microbes as these hormones were first discovered in soil-inhabiting bacteria i.e., Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Later, the cytokinin biosynthesis gene, i.e., ipt gene, has been reported in plants too. Though plants synthesize cytokinins, several studies have reported that the exogenous application of cytokinins has numerous beneficial effects including the acceleration of plant growth and boosting economic yield. Cyanobacteria may be employed in the soil not only as the source of cytokinins but also as the source of other plant growth-promoting metabolites. These organisms biosynthesize the cytokinins using the enzyme isopentenyl transferases (IPTs) in a fashion similar to the plants; however, there are few differences in the biosynthesis mechanism of cytokinins in cyanobacteria and plants. Cytokinins are important for the establishment of interaction between plants and cyanobacteria as evidenced by gene knockout experiments. These hormones are also helpful in alleviating the adverse effects of abiotic stresses on plant development. Cyanobacterial supplements in the field result in the induction of adventitious roots and shoots on petiolar as well as internodal segments. The leaf, root, and stem explants of certain plants exhibited successful regeneration when treated with cyanobacterial extract/cell suspension. These successful regeneration practices mark the way of cyanobacterial deployment in the field as a great move toward the goal of sustainable agriculture.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shashi Uniyal
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, H.N.B Garhwal University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Munni Bhandari
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, H.N.B Garhwal University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Preeti Singh
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, H.N.B Garhwal University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Rahul Kunwar Singh
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, H.N.B Garhwal University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand, India
- *Correspondence: Rahul Kunwar Singh, ; Shree Prakash Tiwari,
| | - Shree Prakash Tiwari
- Department of Microbiology, V.B.S Purvanchal University, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
- *Correspondence: Rahul Kunwar Singh, ; Shree Prakash Tiwari,
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
De Diego N, Spíchal L. Presence and future of plant phenotyping approaches in biostimulant research and development. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:5199-5212. [PMID: 35770872 PMCID: PMC9440437 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Commercial interest in biostimulants as a tool for sustainable green economics and agriculture concepts is on a steep rise, being followed by increasing demand to employ efficient scientific methods to develop new products and understand their mechanisms of action. Biostimulants represent a highly diverse group of agents derived from various natural sources. Regardless of their nutrition content and composition, they are classified by their ability to improve crop performance through enhanced nutrient use efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance, and quality of crops. Numerous reports have described modern, non-invasive sensor-based phenotyping methods in plant research. This review focuses on applying phenotyping approaches in biostimulant research and development, and maps the evolution of interaction of these two intensively growing domains. How phenotyping served to identify new biostimulants, the description of their biological activity, and the mechanism/mode of action are summarized. Special attention is dedicated to the indoor high-throughput methods using model plants suitable for biostimulant screening and developmental pipelines, and high-precision approaches used to determine biostimulant activity. The need for a complex method of testing biostimulants as multicomponent products through integrating other -omic approaches followed by advanced statistical/mathematical tools is emphasized.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nuria De Diego
- Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN), Palacký University Olomouc, Šlechtitelů, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Priming with Small Molecule-Based Biostimulants to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLANTS 2022; 11:plants11101287. [PMID: 35631712 PMCID: PMC9144751 DOI: 10.3390/plants11101287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Biostimulants became a hotspot in the fight to alleviate the consequences of abiotic stresses in crops. Due to their complex nature, it is challenging to obtain stable and reproducible final products and more challenging to define their mechanism of action. As an alternative, small molecule-based biostimulants, such as polyamines have promoted plant growth and improved stress tolerance. However, profound research about their mechanisms of action is still missing. To go further, we tested the effect of putrescine (Put) and its precursor ornithine (Orn) and degradation product 1,3-diaminopropane (DAP) at two different concentrations (0.1 and 1 mM) as a seed priming on in vitro Arabidopsis seedlings grown under optimal growth conditions, osmotic or salt stress. None of the primings affected the growth of the seedlings in optimal conditions but altered the metabolism of the plants. Under stress conditions, almost all primed plants grew better and improved their greenness. Only Orn-primed plants showed different plant responses. Interestingly, the metabolic analysis revealed the implication of the N- acetylornithine and Orn and polyamine conjugation as the leading player regulating growth and development under control and stress conditions. We corroborated polyamines as very powerful small molecule-based biostimulants to alleviate the adverse abiotic stress effects.
Collapse
|
9
|
Kosakivska IV, Vedenicheva NP, Babenko LM, Voytenko LV, Romanenko KO, Vasyuk VA. Exogenous phytohormones in the regulation of growth and development of cereals under abiotic stresses. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 49:617-628. [PMID: 34669126 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06802-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Abiotic stresses, among which extreme temperatures, salinity, drought, UV radiation, heavy metal pollution, etc., adversely affect the growth and yield of cereals, the most important group of monocotyledonous plants that have met the nutritional and other needs of mankind for thousands of years. To cope with stress, plants deploy certain adaptive strategies that combine morphological, physiological, and biochemical responses, and on which growth and productivity depend. An important place in the formation of such strategies is occupied by phytohormones - signaling biomolecules of a different chemical structure and physicochemical properties, which act in nanomolar concentrations and regulate most physiological and metabolic processes of plants. In this review, the latest literature data concerning the growth and development regulation by exogenous phytohormones in cereals under abiotic stresses have been analyzed and summarized. The effects of priming and foliar treatment with abscisic acid, gibberellins, auxins, cytokinins, brassinosteroids, jasmonic and salicylic acids on the cultivated cereals tolerance to different abiotic stressors are discussed. Peculiarities of bilateral and multilateral hormonal signaling in the formation of responses of cultivated cereals to abiotic stressors after application of exogenous phytohormones are considered. The issue of exogenous phytohormones effects on molecular mechanisms controlling the synthesis of endogenous hormones, their signaling and activity are singled out. It is emphasized that phytohormonal engineering opens new opportunities to increase yields and is seen as an important promising approach to overcoming the cereal losses caused by adverse external factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Iryna V Kosakivska
- M. G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Tereshchenkivska st. 2, 01004, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Nina P Vedenicheva
- M. G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Tereshchenkivska st. 2, 01004, Kyiv, Ukraine.
| | - Lidiya M Babenko
- M. G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Tereshchenkivska st. 2, 01004, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Lesya V Voytenko
- M. G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Tereshchenkivska st. 2, 01004, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Kateryna O Romanenko
- M. G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Tereshchenkivska st. 2, 01004, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Valentyna A Vasyuk
- M. G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Tereshchenkivska st. 2, 01004, Kyiv, Ukraine
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Sorrentino M, De Diego N, Ugena L, Spíchal L, Lucini L, Miras-Moreno B, Zhang L, Rouphael Y, Colla G, Panzarová K. Seed Priming With Protein Hydrolysates Improves Arabidopsis Growth and Stress Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:626301. [PMID: 34168660 PMCID: PMC8218911 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.626301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The use of plant biostimulants contributes to more sustainable and environmentally friendly farming techniques and offers a sustainable alternative to mitigate the adverse effects of stress. Protein hydrolysate-based biostimulants have been described to promote plant growth and reduce the negative effect of abiotic stresses in different crops. However, limited information is available about their mechanism of action, how plants perceive their application, and which metabolic pathways are activating. Here we used a multi-trait high-throughput screening approach based on simple RGB imaging and combined with untargeted metabolomics to screen and unravel the mode of action/mechanism of protein hydrolysates in Arabidopsis plants grown in optimal and in salt-stress conditions (0, 75, or 150 mM NaCl). Eleven protein hydrolysates from different protein sources were used as priming agents in Arabidopsis seeds in three different concentrations (0.001, 0.01, or 0.1 μl ml-1). Growth and development-related traits as early seedling establishment, growth response under stress and photosynthetic performance of the plants were dynamically scored throughout and at the end of the growth period. To effectively classify the functional properties of the 11 products a Plant Biostimulant Characterization (PBC) index was used, which helped to characterize the activity of a protein hydrolysate based on its ability to promote plant growth and mitigate stress, and to categorize the products as plant growth promoters, growth inhibitors and/or stress alleviator. Out of 11 products, two were identified as highly effective growth regulators and stress alleviators because they showed a PBC index always above 0.51. Using the untargeted metabolomics approach, we showed that plants primed with these best performing biostimulants had reduced contents of stress-related molecules (such as flavonoids and terpenoids, and some degradation/conjugation compounds of phytohormones such as cytokinins, auxins, gibberellins, etc.), which alleviated the salt stress response-related growth inhibition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mirella Sorrentino
- PSI (Photon Systems Instruments), spol. s r.o., Drásov, Czechia
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Nuria De Diego
- Centre of Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute, Olomouc, Czechia
| | - Lydia Ugena
- Department of Chemical Biology and Genetics, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czechia
| | - Lukáš Spíchal
- Centre of Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute, Olomouc, Czechia
| | - Luigi Lucini
- Department for Sustainable Food Process - DiSTAS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, Italy
| | - Begoña Miras-Moreno
- Department for Sustainable Food Process - DiSTAS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, Italy
| | - Leilei Zhang
- Department for Sustainable Food Process - DiSTAS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, Italy
| | - Youssef Rouphael
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Colla
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Klára Panzarová
- PSI (Photon Systems Instruments), spol. s r.o., Drásov, Czechia
| |
Collapse
|