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Background and Aims <p>Soil salinization imposes osmotic, ionic, and oxidative stresses that severely limit maize growth. Exogenous amino acids can enhance plant stress tolerance, but their effectiveness depends on the compound combination and application mode. This study compared the effects of different amino acid mixtures applied through foliar application or root irrigation on maize salt tolerance and associated physiological and microbial responses.</p> Methods <p>Maize seedlings subjected to 150&#xa0;mM NaCl stress were treated with binary (Pro + GB, Pro + Arg, GB + Arg) or ternary (Pro + GB + Arg) amino acid mixtures through either foliar application or root irrigation. Growth, photosynthetic traits, antioxidant enzyme activities, leaf ion contents, and the composition of phyllosphere and rhizosphere microbial communities were analyzed.</p> Results <p>The Pro + GB (PG) mixture provided the most consistent benefits. Under the application schemes used here, foliar PG showed strong protection against oxidative damage and photosynthetic decline, whereas root irrigation PG was associated with greater improvement in leaf ion homeostasis. Root PG treatment was also associated with partial buffering of salt-induced shifts in the rhizosphere bacterial community. Arginine-containing mixtures were less effective in direct stress mitigation but showed specific modulation of antioxidant enzyme activity.</p> Conclusion <p>Amino acids enhance maize salt tolerance through distinct yet complementary pathways: Foliar application was associated with rapid protection of photosynthetic tissues, whereas root application was more closely related to ion homeostasis and partial buffering of rhizosphere bacterial shifts. The Pro + GB combination is a promising biostimulant formula for improving crop resilience in saline soils.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

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Amino acid-mediated salt tolerance in maize: Distinct foliar and root pathways coordinate osmotic, redox and ionic responses

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月20日

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  • Xiaoyu Ma,
  • Ze-Wen Wang,
  • Mirezhatijiang Kayoumu,
  • Yue Yin,
  • Gui-Lan Duan

摘要

Background and Aims

Soil salinization imposes osmotic, ionic, and oxidative stresses that severely limit maize growth. Exogenous amino acids can enhance plant stress tolerance, but their effectiveness depends on the compound combination and application mode. This study compared the effects of different amino acid mixtures applied through foliar application or root irrigation on maize salt tolerance and associated physiological and microbial responses.

Methods

Maize seedlings subjected to 150 mM NaCl stress were treated with binary (Pro + GB, Pro + Arg, GB + Arg) or ternary (Pro + GB + Arg) amino acid mixtures through either foliar application or root irrigation. Growth, photosynthetic traits, antioxidant enzyme activities, leaf ion contents, and the composition of phyllosphere and rhizosphere microbial communities were analyzed.

Results

The Pro + GB (PG) mixture provided the most consistent benefits. Under the application schemes used here, foliar PG showed strong protection against oxidative damage and photosynthetic decline, whereas root irrigation PG was associated with greater improvement in leaf ion homeostasis. Root PG treatment was also associated with partial buffering of salt-induced shifts in the rhizosphere bacterial community. Arginine-containing mixtures were less effective in direct stress mitigation but showed specific modulation of antioxidant enzyme activity.

Conclusion

Amino acids enhance maize salt tolerance through distinct yet complementary pathways: Foliar application was associated with rapid protection of photosynthetic tissues, whereas root application was more closely related to ion homeostasis and partial buffering of rhizosphere bacterial shifts. The Pro + GB combination is a promising biostimulant formula for improving crop resilience in saline soils.

Graphical Abstract