Abstract
In natural environments, plants are continuously exposed to multiple abiotic stresses, such as high salinity and excess ultraviolet (UV)-B radiation. While responses to individual stresses are well understood, less is known about their combined impact. Here, we treated quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seedlings with salt (0 and 200 mm NaCl) under either photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) or PAR supplemented with UV-B radiation (313 nm, 1 h/d, 1.71 W/m2) to investigate their response to combined salt and UV-B stress. While salinity had minimal effects on plant growth, it decreased stomatal conductance and photochemical efficiency by 36% to 47%. UV-B supplementation mitigated the negative effects of salinity, enhancing photosynthetic efficiency and water relations in UV-B- and salt-treated plants. Enhanced leaf water relations in the combined treatment were associated with altered ion translocation and shoot compartmentalization, especially for K+. Indeed, UV-B decreased K+ accumulation in epidermal bladder cells, suggesting a redistribution from epidermal bladder cells to other leaf tissues. UV-B treatment shifted plant metabolism toward producing hydroxycinnamic acid, while quercetin levels remained unchanged, indicating minimal stress. This study describes a protective mechanism in quinoa where UV-B radiation enhances ion translocation, water relations, and metabolic adjustments, mitigating salinity stress. Our findings offer key insights into plant resilience and physiological adaptation in salt-affected environments under elevated UV-B exposure.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity had minimal effect on quinoa growth.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“salinity had minimal effects on plant growth”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity reduced stomatal conductance by 36% to 47%.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“it decreased stomatal conductance and photochemical efficiency by 36% to 47%”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity reduced photochemical efficiency by 36% to 47%.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“it decreased stomatal conductance and photochemical efficiency by 36% to 47%”
Claim · model-written summary
UV-B supplementation enhanced photosynthetic efficiency under salinity.
- Treatment
- UV-B supplementatione0
- Outcome
- photosynthetic efficiencye0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
- Qualifier
- salt-treated plantse0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“UV-B supplementation mitigated the negative effects of salinity, enhancing photosynthetic efficiency and water relations in UV-B- and salt-treated plants”
Claim · model-written summary
UV-B supplementation enhanced water relations under salinity.
- Treatment
- UV-B supplementatione0
- Outcome
- water relationse0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
- Qualifier
- salt-treated plantse0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“UV-B supplementation mitigated the negative effects of salinity, enhancing photosynthetic efficiency and water relations in UV-B- and salt-treated plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Enhanced leaf water relations under combined treatment were associated with altered ion translocation and shoot compartmentalization.
- Treatment
- combined treatmente0
- Compound
- K+e0
- Outcome
- leaf water relationse0
- Direction
- Enhancede0
- Qualifier
- altered ion translocation and shoot compartmentalizatione0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Enhanced leaf water relations in the combined treatment were associated with altered ion translocation and shoot compartmentalization, especially for K+”
Claim · model-written summary
UV-B decreased K+ accumulation in epidermal bladder cells.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“UV-B decreased K+ accumulation in epidermal bladder cells”
Claim · model-written summary
UV-B shifted quinoa metabolism toward hydroxycinnamic acid production.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“UV-B treatment shifted plant metabolism toward producing hydroxycinnamic acid”
Claim · model-written summary
Quercetin levels remained unchanged under UV-B.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“quercetin levels remained unchanged”