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Background <p>Sandalwood (<i>Santalum album</i> L.), a valuable aromatic tree species, faces significant growth and physiological challenges under abiotic stresses like water deficit and salinity, especially when both stressors are present. Host plant associations are crucial for enhancing sandalwood’s resilience to these conditions. This study examines the effects of 50% water deficit, salinity stress (EC<sub>iw</sub> ~ 8 dS/m), and combined water deficit and salinity on sandalwood’s growth and physiology to identify the optimal host for stress tolerance. Seedlings of <i>S. album</i> were planted with five host plants- <i>Alternanthera</i> sp., <i>Azadirachta indica</i>, <i>Dalbergia sissoo</i>, <i>Melia dubia</i>, and <i>Aquilaria malaccensis</i>- in a randomized block design, along with <i>S. album</i> grown alone, to evaluate each host’s effectiveness in supporting sandalwood under stress.</p> Results <p>Morphological traits (shoot length, fresh weight, dry weight, and collar diameter) and physiological parameters (relative water content, water potential, osmotic potential, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, and Na/K ratio) were measured at 6–8, 10–12, and 18–24 months post-treatment. Results revealed significant reductions in growth, chlorophyll content, and photosynthetic rate under stress conditions, with the combined stress causing the greatest decreases. Shisham (<i>Dalbergia sissoo</i>) was the most effective host, enhancing sandalwood’s growth and physiological performance under stress, followed by Malabar neem (<i>Melia dubia</i>). Sandalwood grown alone exhibited the lowest values for all parameters, underscoring the importance of host associations. Based on findings, sandalwood grown with shisham selected for differential gene expression and noted maximum expression of <i>SOS1</i>, <i>NHX1</i>, <i>NHX2</i>, <i>SOD</i>, <i>CAT</i> and <i>APX</i> genes under combined stress of water and salt stress.</p> Conclusion <p>This study underscores shisham as a preferred host for sandalwood, as its association effectively supports sandalwood’s growth and physiological resilience under water deficit and salinity stress. Host-mediated upregulation of stress-related genes further contributes to sandalwood’s adaptability under challenging conditions. The findings highlight the potential of shisham in sustainable sandalwood cultivation, offering insights for enhancing stress tolerance through strategic host selection.</p>

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Temporal variations in morpho-physiology of sandalwood and gene expression analysis revealed Shisham as host preference under water deficit and salinity stress

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月1日

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  • Ashwani Kumar,
  • Aarju Sharma,
  • Shruti Kaushik,
  • Antim Kundu,
  • Pooja Dhansu,
  • Kamlesh Verma,
  • Raj Kumar,
  • Abdulaziz Abdullah Alsahli,
  • Parvender Sheoran

摘要

Background

Sandalwood (Santalum album L.), a valuable aromatic tree species, faces significant growth and physiological challenges under abiotic stresses like water deficit and salinity, especially when both stressors are present. Host plant associations are crucial for enhancing sandalwood’s resilience to these conditions. This study examines the effects of 50% water deficit, salinity stress (ECiw ~ 8 dS/m), and combined water deficit and salinity on sandalwood’s growth and physiology to identify the optimal host for stress tolerance. Seedlings of S. album were planted with five host plants- Alternanthera sp., Azadirachta indica, Dalbergia sissoo, Melia dubia, and Aquilaria malaccensis- in a randomized block design, along with S. album grown alone, to evaluate each host’s effectiveness in supporting sandalwood under stress.

Results

Morphological traits (shoot length, fresh weight, dry weight, and collar diameter) and physiological parameters (relative water content, water potential, osmotic potential, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, and Na/K ratio) were measured at 6–8, 10–12, and 18–24 months post-treatment. Results revealed significant reductions in growth, chlorophyll content, and photosynthetic rate under stress conditions, with the combined stress causing the greatest decreases. Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) was the most effective host, enhancing sandalwood’s growth and physiological performance under stress, followed by Malabar neem (Melia dubia). Sandalwood grown alone exhibited the lowest values for all parameters, underscoring the importance of host associations. Based on findings, sandalwood grown with shisham selected for differential gene expression and noted maximum expression of SOS1, NHX1, NHX2, SOD, CAT and APX genes under combined stress of water and salt stress.

Conclusion

This study underscores shisham as a preferred host for sandalwood, as its association effectively supports sandalwood’s growth and physiological resilience under water deficit and salinity stress. Host-mediated upregulation of stress-related genes further contributes to sandalwood’s adaptability under challenging conditions. The findings highlight the potential of shisham in sustainable sandalwood cultivation, offering insights for enhancing stress tolerance through strategic host selection.