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<p>Salt stress hampers crop productivity by impairing photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, ion balance, and gene regulation. <i>Piriformospora indica</i>, a root endophyte of the order Sebacinales, colonizes cortical root cells, improving nutrient acquisition, growth, and abiotic stress tolerance through targeted transcriptional response. This study investigates the synergistic effect of <i>P. indica</i> and salicylic acid (SA) in mitigating salt stress-induced damage in <i>Zea mays</i>. A randomized pot experiment evaluated growth, physiological traits, nutrient homeostasis, biochemical markers (protein, proline, total sugars, flavonoid, total antioxidants, and antioxidant enzyme activity), ultrastructural integrity, and stress-responsive gene expression across salinity gradients (0-200 mM NaCl). Our findings revealed that salt stress markedly reduced shoot and root length, biomass, photosynthetic efficiency, nutrient uptake, and antioxidant defenses, while impairing membrane integrity, cellular ultrastructure, and reducing proline, protein, flavonoid, and total sugar levels. Expression of aquaporin (<i>ZmTIP</i>, <i>ZmPIP</i>) and salt overly sensitive (<i>ZmSOS1</i>, <i>ZmSOS2</i>, <i>ZmSOS3</i>) genes was downregulated. Inoculation with <i>P. indica</i> significantly improved root-shoot biomass, chlorophyll content, nutrient uptake, and antioxidant enzymes activities, partially restoring gene expression and cellular ultrastructure. SA application further enhanced photosynthetic performance, osmolyte accumulation, nutrient assimilation, antioxidant defenses, and stress-related gene expression. The combined <i>P. indica</i> + SA treatment was most effective, resulting in the greatest improvements in growth traits, photosynthesis, ion balance, flavonoid and sugar content, and a strong upregulation of stress-responsive genes. LC–MS/MS analysis revealed restoration of key metabolites, including flavonoids, vitamins, steroids, and triterpenoids, under combined treatment. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed preservation of the chloroplast and membrane structures. Findings reveal that P. <i>indica</i> and SA synergistically enhance <i>Zea mays</i> resilience via physico-chemical and targeted transcriptional responses, presenting a sustainable microbe-hormone strategy to mitigate salt stress in cereals.</p>

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Synergy between Piriformospora Indica and Salicylic Acid Modulates Maize Stress Physiology, Ultrastructure, and Gene Expression

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月6日

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  • Sunil K. Singh,
  • Rakesh Pandey,
  • Chanda Panwar,
  • Pankaj Kumar,
  • Sumit Sharma,
  • Sonali Batra,
  • Pradeep Kumar,
  • Jai Gopal Sharma,
  • Madhulika Singh,
  • Bhoopander Giri

摘要

Salt stress hampers crop productivity by impairing photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, ion balance, and gene regulation. Piriformospora indica, a root endophyte of the order Sebacinales, colonizes cortical root cells, improving nutrient acquisition, growth, and abiotic stress tolerance through targeted transcriptional response. This study investigates the synergistic effect of P. indica and salicylic acid (SA) in mitigating salt stress-induced damage in Zea mays. A randomized pot experiment evaluated growth, physiological traits, nutrient homeostasis, biochemical markers (protein, proline, total sugars, flavonoid, total antioxidants, and antioxidant enzyme activity), ultrastructural integrity, and stress-responsive gene expression across salinity gradients (0-200 mM NaCl). Our findings revealed that salt stress markedly reduced shoot and root length, biomass, photosynthetic efficiency, nutrient uptake, and antioxidant defenses, while impairing membrane integrity, cellular ultrastructure, and reducing proline, protein, flavonoid, and total sugar levels. Expression of aquaporin (ZmTIP, ZmPIP) and salt overly sensitive (ZmSOS1, ZmSOS2, ZmSOS3) genes was downregulated. Inoculation with P. indica significantly improved root-shoot biomass, chlorophyll content, nutrient uptake, and antioxidant enzymes activities, partially restoring gene expression and cellular ultrastructure. SA application further enhanced photosynthetic performance, osmolyte accumulation, nutrient assimilation, antioxidant defenses, and stress-related gene expression. The combined P. indica + SA treatment was most effective, resulting in the greatest improvements in growth traits, photosynthesis, ion balance, flavonoid and sugar content, and a strong upregulation of stress-responsive genes. LC–MS/MS analysis revealed restoration of key metabolites, including flavonoids, vitamins, steroids, and triterpenoids, under combined treatment. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed preservation of the chloroplast and membrane structures. Findings reveal that P. indica and SA synergistically enhance Zea mays resilience via physico-chemical and targeted transcriptional responses, presenting a sustainable microbe-hormone strategy to mitigate salt stress in cereals.