Abstract
Abstract Salt stress induces significant loss in crop yield worldwide. Although the growth‐stimulating effects of micronutrient nanoparticles (NPs) application under salinity have been studied, the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying these effects are poorly understood. The large size of maize leaf growth zones provides an ideal model system to sample and investigate the molecular and physiological bases of growth at subzonal resolution. Using kinematic analysis, our study indicated that salinity at 150 mM inhibited maize leaf growth by decreasing cell division and expansion in the meristem and elongation zones. Consistently, salinity downregulated cell cycle gene expression ( wee1 , mcm4 , and cyclin‐B2‐4 ). B 2 O 3 NP (BNP) mitigated the stress‐induced growth inhibition by reducing the decrease in cell division and expansion. BNP also enhanced the photosynthesis‐related parameters. Simultaneously, chlorophyll, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase were stimulated in the mature zone. Concomitant with growth stimulation by BNP, mineral homeostasis, particularly for B and Ca, was monitored. BNP reduced oxidative stress (e.g., lessened H 2 O 2 generation along the leaf zones and reduced lipid peroxidation in the mature zone) induced by salinity. This resulted from better maintenance of the redox status, that is, increased the glutathione‐ascorbate cycle in the meristem and elongation zones, and flavonoids and tocopherol levels in the mature zone. Our study has important implications for assessing the salinity stress impact mitigated by BNP on maize growth, providing a basis to improve the resilience of crop species under salinity stress conditions.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity at 150 mM inhibited maize leaf growth through reduced cell division and expansion.
- Organ / stage
- meristem and elongation zonese0
- Treatment
- salinity at 150 mMe0
- Outcome
- maize leaf growthe0
- Direction
- inhibitede0
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“salinity at 150 mM inhibited maize leaf growth by decreasing cell division and expansion in the meristem and elongation zones.”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity downregulated cell cycle genes wee1, mcm4 and cyclin-B2-4.
- Treatment
- salinitye0
- Gene
- wee1 , mcm4 , and cyclin‐B2‐4e0
- Outcome
- cell cycle gene expressione0
- Direction
- downregulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“salinity downregulated cell cycle gene expression ( wee1 , mcm4 , and cyclin‐B2‐4 ).”
t0“maize leaf”
Claim · model-written summary
BNP enhanced photosynthesis-related parameters.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BNP also enhanced the photosynthesis‐related parameters.”
t0“maize leaf”
Claim · model-written summary
BNP stimulated chlorophyll, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase in mature zones.
- Organ / stage
- mature zonee0
- Treatment
- BNPe1
- Outcome
- chlorophyll, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenasee0
- Direction
- stimulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“chlorophyll, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase were stimulated in the mature zone.”
e1“BNP also enhanced”
t0“maize leaf”
Claim · model-written summary
BNP lessened hydrogen peroxide generation along maize leaf zones under salinity.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BNP reduced oxidative stress (e.g., lessened H 2 O 2 generation along the leaf zones and reduced lipid peroxidation in the mature zone) induced by salinity.”
t0“maize leaf”
Claim · model-written summary
BNP reduced lipid peroxidation in mature maize leaf zones under salinity.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BNP reduced oxidative stress (e.g., lessened H 2 O 2 generation along the leaf zones and reduced lipid peroxidation in the mature zone) induced by salinity.”
t0“maize leaf”
Claim · model-written summary
BNP increased the glutathione-ascorbate cycle in meristem and elongation zones.
- Organ / stage
- meristem and elongation zonese0
- Treatment
- BNPe1
- Outcome
- glutathione‐ascorbate cyclee0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increased the glutathione‐ascorbate cycle in the meristem and elongation zones”
e1“BNP reduced oxidative stress”
t0“maize leaf”
Claim · model-written summary
BNP increased flavonoids and tocopherol levels in the mature zone.
- Organ / stage
- mature zonee0
- Treatment
- BNPe2
- Outcome
- flavonoids and tocopherol levelse0
- Direction
- increasede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“flavonoids and tocopherol levels in the mature zone”
e1“increased the glutathione‐ascorbate cycle in the meristem and elongation zones, and flavonoids and tocopherol levels in the mature zone.”
e2“BNP reduced oxidative stress”
t0“maize leaf”
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