Abstract
Silicon (Si) has been widely used in recent years to improve crop salt tolerance. However, few studies concentrated on the effects of Si on salt tolerance and quality of medicinal plants. In this study, the long-term effects of spraying of Si (K2SiO3) on Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. and Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat., grown in Xinjiang under different salt concentrations (medium and high-salt), on the plant growth, photosynthetic pigment content, gas exchange parameters, osmotic adjustment ability, total flavonoids and glycyrrhizic acid contents were investigated. The results showed that the plant height, leaf area, leaf number, relative water content (RWC), photosynthetic pigment content, and gas exchange parameters decreased on different salt treatments in both licorice species; their biomass accumulation both above- and below-ground was inhibited, leading to a significant decrease in total flavonoids and glycyrrhizic acid levels in the roots. On the contrary, foliar Si application increased the number and area of leaves; improved the RWC, net photosynthetic rate, and stomatal conductance; and reduced the degradation rate of photosynthetic pigments subjected to salt stress. Additionally, the length, number, and absorptive area of the root systems increased on Si application, alleviating the inhibition of salt on root growth, increasing the accumulation of total flavonoids and glycyrrhizic in roots, and promoting the medicinal quality of licorice. Si application also alleviated the damage caused by salt stress-induced lipid peroxidation and maintained the integrity of the plasma membrane by promoting the synthesis of soluble sugars, soluble proteins, and proline, thereby enhanced the salt tolerance of licorice.
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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Director Fund of Education Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Phytomedicine Resource Utilization (XPRU202003) and the Youth Innovation Talent Programme of Shihezi University (CXBJ202201). We would also like to thank Editage (www.editage.cn) for English language editing.
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Conceptualization: XP; Methodology: ZS and PC; Formal analysis and investigation: ZS, PC, XC, XD, and HW; Writing—original draft preparation: ZS and PC; Writing—review and editing: ZS, PC, and XP; Resources: XP; Supervision: SW and WZ.
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Shen, Z., Chen, P., Dong, X. et al. Foliar Silicon Application Enhances Medicinal Quality and Salt Tolerance of Two Licorice Species by Improving Their Growth, Physiological Characteristics, and Root Effective Components. J Plant Growth Regul 43, 1384–1399 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-023-11191-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-023-11191-w