title: Stomatal density and metabolic determinants mediate salt stress adaptation and water use efficiency in basil (Ocimum basilicum L.).
abstract: Increasing salinity tolerance and water-use efficiency in crop plants are two major challenges that agriculture must face in the next decades. Many physiological mechanisms and molecular components mediating crop response to environmental stresses have been identified. However, the functional inter-links between stress adaptation responses have not been completely understood. Using two basil cultivars (Napoletano and Genovese) with contrasting ability to respond to salt stress, here we demonstrate that reduced stomatal density, high ascorbate level and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity coordinately contribute to improve basil adaptation and water use efficiency (WUE) in saline environment. The constitutively reduced stomatal density was associated with a "delayed" accumulation of stress molecules (and growth inhibiting signals) such as abscisic acid (ABA) and proline, in the more tolerant Genovese. Leaf volatile profiling also revealed cultivar-specific patterns, which may suggest a role for the volatile phenylpropanoid eugenol and monoterpenes in conferring stress tolerance via antioxidant and signalling functions.
authors: Department of Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy.
authors: Giancarlo
authors: G
authors: Barbieri
authors: Simona
authors: S
authors: Vallone
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Orsini
authors: Roberta
authors: R
authors: Paradiso
authors: Stefania
authors: S
authors: De Pascale
authors: Florence
authors: F
authors: Negre-Zakharov
authors: Albino
authors: A
authors: Maggio
mesh_terms: D018649:Ocimum basilicum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D054046:Plant Stomata / Q000502:physiology; D055049:Salt Tolerance; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D012965:Sodium Chloride