Methyl jasmonate regulated diploid and tetraploid black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) tolerance to salt stress

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is an essential and promising plant growth regulation factor that can improve plant development and growth. Here, we explored the mechanism by which MeJA regulates the tolerance of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) to salt stress. In this study, diploid and tetraploid R. pseudoacacia were subjected to three treatments: 500 mM NaCl; 100 mu M MeJA; and 500 mM NaCl and 100 mu M MeJA, and the changes in plant growth, endogenous MeJA levels and the anti-oxidative metabolism of leaves were investigated. The results showed that salt stress significantly inhibited plant growth and induced the accumulation of Na+ and Cl- ions, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and reactive oxygen species. However, these adverse effects could be alleviated by applying MeJA, which was followed by a marked increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes. In addition, some genes encoding several antioxidant enzymes were also up-regulated. Simultaneously, the endogenous MeJA content in MeJA-treated plants was lower than in salt-treated plants. It is noteworthy that tetraploids always possessed higher salt tolerance and obtained greater positive effects from MeJA than diploids. These results suggested that MeJA might play a protective role in defense responses, enabling diploid and tetraploid black locust, especially tetraploid, to better tolerate the adverse effects of salt stress.