title: Mitigation of NaCl Stress by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi through the Modulation of Osmolytes, Antioxidants and Secondary Metabolites in Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) Plants.
abstract: Present work was carried out to investigate the possible role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in mitigating salinity-induced alterations in Brassica juncea L. Exposure to NaCl stress altered the morphological, physio-biochemical attributes, antioxidant activity, secondary metabolites and phytohormones in the mustard seedlings. The growth and biomass yield, leaf water content, and total chlorophyll content were decreased with NaCl stress. However, AMF-inoculated plants exhibited enhanced shoot and root length, elevated relative water content, enhanced chlorophyll content, and ultimately biomass yield. Lipid peroxidation and proline content were increased by 54.53 and 63.47%, respectively with 200 mM NaCl concentration. Further increase in proline content and decrease in lipid peroxidation was observed in NaCl-treated plants inoculated with AMF. The antioxidants, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and reduced glutathione were increased by 48.35, 54.86, 43.85, and 44.44%, respectively, with 200 mM NaCl concentration. Further increase in these antioxidants has been observed in AMF-colonized plants indicating the alleviating role of AMF to salinity stress through antioxidant modulation. The total phenol, flavonoids, and phytohormones increase with NaCl treatment. However, NaCl-treated plants colonized with AMF showed further increase in the above parameters except ABA, which was reduced with NaCl+AMF treatment over the plants treated with NaCl alone. Our results demonstrated that NaCl caused negative effect on B. juncea seedlings; however, colonization with AMF enhances the NaCl tolerance by reforming the physio-biochemical attributes, activities of antioxidant enzymes, and production of secondary metabolites and phytohormones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Amity Institute of Pharmacy, Amity University Noida, India.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarwat
authors.affiliation: Mycology and Plant Disease Survey Department, Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agriculture Research CenterGiza, Egypt; Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud UniversityRiyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abeer
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hashem
authors.affiliation: Stress Physiology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Jiwaji University Gwalior, India.
authors.forename: Mohammad A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ahanger
authors.affiliation: Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Elsayed F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Abd Allah
authors.affiliation: Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Alqarawi
authors.affiliation: Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohammed N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Alyemeni
authors.affiliation: Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud UniversityRiyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Botany, Sri Pratap CollegeSrinagar, India.
authors.forename: Parvaiz
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental Research, Near East University Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: Salih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gucel
keywords: AMF; Brassica juncea; NaCl stress; antioxidants; flavonoids; lipid peroxidation; osmolytes; phytohormones