Journal
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
Volume 154, Issue -, Pages 341-352Publisher
ELSEVIER FRANCE-EDITIONS SCIENTIFIQUES MEDICALES ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.05.012
Keywords
Na+ flower content; Fruit yield; HKT1;2 gene; K+ and Na+ homeostasis; Solanum lycopersicum and S. cheesmaniae; Tomato; Salinity
Categories
Funding
- EU from Agencia Estatal de Investigacion
- Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competition [AGL2013-41733-R, AGL2017-82452-C2-1R, AGL2017-82452-C2-2R]
- University of Granada [ACCESP2018-4]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Genes encoding HKT1-like Na+ transporters play a key role in the salinity tolerance mechanism in Arabidopsis and other plant species by retrieving Na+ from the xylem of different organs and tissues. In this study, we investigated the role of two HKT1;2 allelic variants in tomato salt tolerance in relation to vegetative growth and fruit yield in plants subjected to salt treatment in a commercial greenhouse under real production conditions. We used two near-isogenic lines (NILs), homozygous for either the Solanum lycopersicum (NIL17) or S. cheesmaniae (NIL14) allele, at HKT1;2 loci and their respective RNAi-Sl/ScHKT1;2 lines. The results obtained show that both ScHKT1;2- and SIHKTI;2-silenced lines display hypersensitivity to salinity associated with an altered leaf Na+/K+ ratio, thus confirming that HKT1;2 plays an important role in Na+ homeostasis and salinity tolerance in tomato. Both silenced lines also showed Na+ over-accumulation and a slight, but significant, reduction in K+ content in the flower tissues of salt-treated plants and consequently a higher Na+/K+ ratio as compared to the respective unsilenced lines. This altered Na+/K+ ratio in flower tissues is associated with a sharp reduction in fruit yield, measured as total fresh weight and number of fruits, in both silenced lines under salinity conditions. Our findings demonstrate that Na+ transporter HKT1;2 protects the flower against Na+ toxicity and mitigates the reduction in tomato fruit yield under salinity conditions.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available