ABA-mediated salt tolerance in Astragalus cicer: From physiological-biochemical responses to key regulatory networks identified by transcriptome profiling and WGCNA.
- Open access
Exogenous ABA enhances salt tolerance in Astragalus cicer by activating key regulatory networks, including hormone signaling and MAPK pathways, improving growth and stress resilience.
- Why it matters: Soil salinization limits leguminous forage productivity, and understanding the molecular mechanisms of salt acclimation in Astragalus cicer is crucial for developing resilient crops and land restoration strategies.
- What they did: Researchers conducted physiological, biochemical, and transcriptomic analyses under salt stress, ABA treatment, and inhibition, identifying hub genes and validating core ABA signaling components through WGCNA.
- The result: Findings reveal that ABA improves salt tolerance by coordinating antioxidant defenses, photosystem stability, ion homeostasis, and metabolic remodeling, offering targets for breeding stress-resilient forages.