Abstract
Abstract BACKGROUND Silicon (Si) has shown potential in mitigating salt stress in cotton, but the underlying mechanisms remain not fully understood. In this study, hydroponic experiments assessed effects of exogenous Si (0.4 mmol L −1 ) on growth, water status, and related physiology indexes of cotton seedlings under 150 mmol L −1 NaCl stress. We investigated whether Si enhances salt tolerance via water balance maintenance and transcriptional regulation using RNA‐Seq. RESULTS Salt stress significantly inhibited cotton seedlings growth, reducing plant height, leaf area, and root dry weight by 31.8%, 36.5%, and 40.0%, respectively. Exogenous Si application alleviated the inhibitory effects of salt stress on these growth parameters. The positive effects of Si were primarily credited to increasing root aquaporin (AQP) content, which facilitates improved root hydraulic conductance (Lpr) and ultimately improves leaf water status. Under salt stress, Si elevated leaf water content by 51.8%, bound water by 186.9%, and leaf water potential by 31.0%. Moreover, Si increased abscisic acid (ABA) content at the early stage of salt stress, promoting stomatal closure to reduce water loss. Furthermore, we identified 81 differentially expressed genes shared among CK_ versus _NaCl, CK_ versus _NaCl+Si and NaCl_ versus _NaCl+Si comparisons (where CK is control), with significant enrichment in pathways related to ABA metabolism (NECD and CYP707A4), ABA signal transduction (YR1/PYLs and ABI5), and water transport (such as plasma membrane intrinsic proteins). CONCLUSION These results suggested that exogenous Si enhances salt tolerance by regulating ABA and AQP levels, promoting early stomatal closure, increasing Lpr, and thus maintaining leaf water content, which collectively support cotton seedling growth under salt stress. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
Salt stress reduced cotton seedling plant height by 31.8%.
- Taxon
- cotton seedlings
Gossypium hirsutume0 - Treatment
- Salt stresse0
- Outcome
- plant heighte0
- Direction
- reducinge0
- Value
- 31.8%e0
- Comparator
- controle7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salt stress significantly inhibited cotton seedlings growth, reducing plant height, leaf area, and root dry weight by 31.8%, 36.5%, and 40.0%, respectively”
e7“where CK is control”
Claim · model-written summary
Salt stress reduced cotton seedling leaf area by 36.5%.
- Taxon
- cotton seedlingsGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- Salt stresse0
- Outcome
- leaf areae0
- Direction
- reducinge0
- Value
- 36.5%e0
- Comparator
- controle7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salt stress significantly inhibited cotton seedlings growth, reducing plant height, leaf area, and root dry weight by 31.8%, 36.5%, and 40.0%, respectively”
e7“where CK is control”
Claim · model-written summary
Salt stress reduced cotton seedling root dry weight by 40.0%.
- Taxon
- cotton seedlingsGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- Salt stresse0
- Outcome
- root dry weighte0
- Direction
- reducinge0
- Value
- 40.0%e0
- Comparator
- controle7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salt stress significantly inhibited cotton seedlings growth, reducing plant height, leaf area, and root dry weight by 31.8%, 36.5%, and 40.0%, respectively”
e7“where CK is control”
Claim · model-written summary
Exogenous silicon alleviated the inhibitory effect of salt stress on growth parameters.
- Taxon
- cotton seedlingsGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- Exogenous Si applicatione1
- Outcome
- these growth parameterse1
- Direction
- alleviatede1
- Comparator
- salt stresse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salt stress significantly inhibited cotton seedlings growth, reducing plant height, leaf area, and root dry weight by 31.8%, 36.5%, and 40.0%, respectively”
e1“Exogenous Si application alleviated the inhibitory effects of salt stress on these growth parameters”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon increased root aquaporin content, improving root hydraulic conductance and leaf water status.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Sie2
- Gene
- root aquaporin (AQP)e2
- Outcome
- leaf water statuse2
- Qualifier
- root hydraulic conductance (Lpr)e2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“salt tolerance of cotton seedlings”
e2“The positive effects of Si were primarily credited to increasing root aquaporin (AQP) content, which facilitates improved root hydraulic conductance (Lpr) and ultimately improves leaf water status”
Claim · model-written summary
Under salt stress, silicon elevated leaf water content by 51.8%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Sie3
- Outcome
- leaf water contente3
- Direction
- elevatede3
- Value
- 51.8%e3
- Comparator
- salt stresse3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“salt tolerance of cotton seedlings”
e3“Under salt stress, Si elevated leaf water content by 51.8%, bound water by 186.9%, and leaf water potential by 31.0%”
Claim · model-written summary
Under salt stress, silicon elevated bound water by 186.9%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Sie3
- Outcome
- bound watere3
- Direction
- elevatede3
- Value
- 186.9%e3
- Comparator
- salt stresse3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“salt tolerance of cotton seedlings”
e3“Under salt stress, Si elevated leaf water content by 51.8%, bound water by 186.9%, and leaf water potential by 31.0%”
Claim · model-written summary
Under salt stress, silicon elevated leaf water potential by 31.0%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Sie3
- Outcome
- leaf water potentiale3
- Direction
- elevatede3
- Value
- 31.0%e3
- Comparator
- salt stresse3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“salt tolerance of cotton seedlings”
e3“Under salt stress, Si elevated leaf water content by 51.8%, bound water by 186.9%, and leaf water potential by 31.0%”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon increased abscisic acid content at the early stage of salt stress.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Sie4
- Outcome
- abscisic acid (ABA) contente4
- Direction
- increasede4
- Comparator
- salt stresse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“salt tolerance of cotton seedlings”
e4“Si increased abscisic acid (ABA) content at the early stage of salt stress, promoting stomatal closure to reduce water loss”
Claim · model-written summary
Abscisic acid promoted early stomatal closure, reducing water loss.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Compound
- abscisic acid (ABA)e4
- Outcome
- stomatal closuree4
- Qualifier
- to reduce water losse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“salt tolerance of cotton seedlings”
e4“Si increased abscisic acid (ABA) content at the early stage of salt stress, promoting stomatal closure to reduce water loss”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon treatment shared 81 differentially expressed genes across the salt and control comparisons.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Outcome
- differentially expressed genese5
- Value
- 81e5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“salt tolerance of cotton seedlings”
e5“we identified 81 differentially expressed genes”
Claim · model-written summary
Genes in ABA metabolism pathways (NECD and CYP707A4) were significantly enriched.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Gene
- NECD and CYP707A4e4
- Outcome
- pathways related to ABA metabolisme4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“salt tolerance of cotton seedlings”
e4“significant enrichment in pathways related to ABA metabolism (NECD and CYP707A4)”
Claim · model-written summary
Genes in ABA signal transduction (YR1/PYLs and ABI5) were significantly enriched.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Gene
- YR1/PYLs and ABI5e5
- Outcome
- ABA signal transductione5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“salt tolerance of cotton seedlings”
e5“ABA signal transduction (YR1/PYLs and ABI5)”
Claim · model-written summary
Genes in water transport (plasma membrane intrinsic proteins) were significantly enriched.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Gene
- plasma membrane intrinsic proteinse6
- Outcome
- water transporte6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“salt tolerance of cotton seedlings”
e6“water transport (such as plasma membrane intrinsic proteins)”
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See all 108 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.