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Application of gamma rays on salinity tolerance of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and expression of genes related to biosynthesis of proline, glycine betaine and antioxidant enzymes

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Abstract

We investigated the effects of salinity stress and gamma radiation on salinity tolerance in wheat crops. To this end, mutant lines were generated by exposing Arg and Bam wheat varieties at the primordial state to 150 and 200 gamma radiation doses in the field. The top 15 mutant lines were specified for cultivation in the fifth-generation under two conditions, including non-stress and salinity stress. According to Fernandez's model, the three mutant lines had high yields under both conditions. The three mutant lines were selected with their two parents, and then, cultivated in a completely randomized factorial design in a greenhouse under non-stress and salinity conditions. The mutant lines showed significantly higher osmotic adjustment, leaf relative water content (RWC), potassium ion concentration, soluble sugar content and lower proline (Pro), and glycine betaine (GB) content than the parents at both the vegetative (VEG) and reproductive (REP) stages under salinity conditions. The expression of genes involved in the Pro biosynthesis pathway, P5CS and P5CR genes, in mutant lines were less than their parents, and conversely, P5CDH in mutant lines was more than their parents. The changes in the expression of CMO and BADH genes involved in the GB synthesis pathway indicated that the mutant lines had less gene expression compared to their parent genotypes of Arg and Bam. The results indicated an increase in antioxidant activity in the mutant lines compared to their parents. Consequently, irradiated plants have probably adapted to the salinity stress by increasing the osmotic adjustment, RWC, potassium ion concentration, and soluble sugar content, as well as activating antioxidant enzymes.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Masoumeh Salehi (National Salinity Research Center at Yazd, Iran (NSRC)) for help with recording the data in field trials.

Funding

This work was funded by the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI) of Iran and Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Crop and Horticultural Science Research Department, Fars Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Darab, Iran

    Alireza Askari Kelestani

  2. Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Department, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, PO Box 4918943464, Gorgan, Iran

    Sanaz Ramezanpour, Hasan Soltanloo & Saeed Navabpour

  3. Agriculture Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, PO Box 31485-498, Karaj, Iran

    Azam Borzouei & Safoora Saadati

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  1. Alireza Askari Kelestani
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  2. Sanaz Ramezanpour
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  4. Hasan Soltanloo
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  5. Saeed Navabpour
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Contributions

The experiment was supervised by SSR and AB and was advised by HS and SN. AB and AA collected and analyzed the data and wrote the draft manuscript. SSR, AB, and SS revised and corrected the draft manuscript. SS performed the measured treaties analysis. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Azam Borzouei.

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Askari Kelestani, A., Ramezanpour, S., Borzouei, A. et al. Application of gamma rays on salinity tolerance of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and expression of genes related to biosynthesis of proline, glycine betaine and antioxidant enzymes. Physiol Mol Biol Plants 27, 2533–2547 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-021-01090-3

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