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Physiological and molecular response under salinity stress in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

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Abstract

Wheat is among major cereals cultivated and consumed all over the world. However, production of wheat worldwide is affected by salinity stress. With reference to salt stress tolerance, though genetic variability exists in wheat gene pool, in depth understanding of molecular and physiological processes underlying salinity tolerance is lacking. Kharchia Local (KL), an Indian landrace of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is well known for its tolerance to salinity stress. Analysis of the expression pattern of an important vacuolar TaNHX1 (Na+(K+)/H+) antiporter gene in response to salt stress was carried out in two bread wheat genotypes viz. KL (tolerant) and HD 3086 (susceptible). This gene is associated with vacuolar Na+ sequestration. Changes in various physiological parameters in response to salt stress were also assayed in these genotypes. Physiological parameters such as RWC, MSI, CHL, Na+ and K+ contents in leaf and root tissues were estimated under both control and salt stress conditions. Higher transcript level of TaNHX1 gene in KL suggests early up regulation of this gene expression under salt stress. This study helps in understanding how various cellular response, differ in bread wheat in response to salt stress.

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Abbreviations

RWC:

Relative water content

MSI:

Membrane stability index

CHL:

Chlorophyll

NHX:

Na+/H+(K+) antiporter

KL:

Kharchia Local

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Acknowledgements

The work was financially supported by ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi, India. The authors are thankful to National Phytotron Facility- IARI, New Delhi for providing growth chamber facility for carrying out hydroponics experiment. The first author thanks Department of Biotechnology (Grant No. DBT/JRF/14/AL/377), Government of India for Ph.D. research fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Priyanka Singh & Mahesh M. Mahajan

  2. Biotechnology and Climate Change Laboratory, ICAR-NRC on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Mahesh M. Mahajan, Nagendra Kumar Singh & Kanika Kumar

  3. Division of Agronomy, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Dinesh Kumar

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  1. Priyanka Singh
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  2. Mahesh M. Mahajan
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  3. Nagendra Kumar Singh
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  4. Dinesh Kumar
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  5. Kanika Kumar
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Contributions

PS: conducted the experiments, data analysis and manuscript preparation. MMM: involved in RT-PCR data analysis. KK, NKS: planning and supervision of the experiments and manuscript correction. DK: contributed in monovalent cations analysis. KK: manuscript drafting and language editing.

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Correspondence to Kanika Kumar.

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Singh, P., Mahajan, M.M., Singh, N.K. et al. Physiological and molecular response under salinity stress in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). J. Plant Biochem. Biotechnol. 29, 125–133 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13562-019-00521-3

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