<p>Rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i>), a&#xa0;staple food for the major global population, faces substantial productivity challenges due to salinity stress, an increasingly prevalent issue exacerbated by climate change. Salinity impacts rice at critical growth stages especially at seedling stage, root development, shoot elongation and ultimately seedling establishment. This study evaluated the effect of brassinosteroid (BR) priming as a&#xa0;strategy to improve seedling stage salinity tolerance in rice seedlings across 15&#xa0;genotypes subjected to moderate (140 mM NaCl), and severe (200 mM NaCl) salinity stress in comparison with control. BR-primed seeds demonstrated enhanced germination rates, seedling vigor index, shoot length and root length under salinity conditions compared to non-treated seeds. BR priming led to a&#xa0;35% improvement in SVI under control conditions and up to 30% under severe salinity, suggesting that BRs may facilitate osmotic regulation and ion homeostasis, key for maintaining growth under stress. Furthermore, BR priming significantly increased root development, essential for water uptake and nutrient acquisition in saline environments. Our results showed the prospect of BR priming as an effective approach to enhance rice resilience to salinity stress, providing a&#xa0;foundation for further field-based research on BR-mediated stress tolerance mechanisms. This study underscores the relevance of BR priming in improving rice productivity in saline-prone areas, contributing to food security in the face of increasing soil salinization.</p>

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Enhancing Early Seedling Stage Salinity Tolerance in Rice Through Brassinosteroid Priming

  • Tinu Thomas,
  • K. Manojkumar,
  • P. Saravanane,
  • S. Nadaradjan

摘要

Rice (Oryza sativa), a staple food for the major global population, faces substantial productivity challenges due to salinity stress, an increasingly prevalent issue exacerbated by climate change. Salinity impacts rice at critical growth stages especially at seedling stage, root development, shoot elongation and ultimately seedling establishment. This study evaluated the effect of brassinosteroid (BR) priming as a strategy to improve seedling stage salinity tolerance in rice seedlings across 15 genotypes subjected to moderate (140 mM NaCl), and severe (200 mM NaCl) salinity stress in comparison with control. BR-primed seeds demonstrated enhanced germination rates, seedling vigor index, shoot length and root length under salinity conditions compared to non-treated seeds. BR priming led to a 35% improvement in SVI under control conditions and up to 30% under severe salinity, suggesting that BRs may facilitate osmotic regulation and ion homeostasis, key for maintaining growth under stress. Furthermore, BR priming significantly increased root development, essential for water uptake and nutrient acquisition in saline environments. Our results showed the prospect of BR priming as an effective approach to enhance rice resilience to salinity stress, providing a foundation for further field-based research on BR-mediated stress tolerance mechanisms. This study underscores the relevance of BR priming in improving rice productivity in saline-prone areas, contributing to food security in the face of increasing soil salinization.