Halophytes display distinctive physiological mechanisms that enable their survival and growth under extreme saline conditions. This makes them potential candidates for their use in saline agriculture. In this research, tomato (Solanum lycopersium Mill.) was cultivated in moderately saline conditions under two different managements involving Arthrocaulon macrostachyum L., a salt accumulator shrub: intercropping, i.e., co-cultivation of tomato/halophyte; and crop rotation, in which tomato is grown where the halophyte was previously cultivated. The effect of these crop managements was evaluated in tomato plants in comparison with tomato in monoculture, with regards to physiological and biochemical variables and metabolomic and proteomic profiles. Both halophyte-based managements reduced soil salinity. Crop rotation enhanced photosynthesis and protective mechanisms at the photosynthetic level. In addition, both crop managements altered the hormone profile and the antioxidant capacity, whereas a reactive oxygen species over-accumulation in leaf tissues indicated the establishment of a controlled mild oxidative stress. However, tomato production remained unchanged. Metabolomic and proteomic approaches suggest complex interactions at the leaf level, driven by the influence of the halophyte. In this regard, an interplay of ROS/lipid-based signalling pathways is proposed. Moreover, improved photosynthesis under crop rotation was associated with accumulation of sugar metabolism-related compounds and photosynthesis-related proteins. Likewise, acylamino acid-releasing enzymes, a class of serine-proteases, remarkably increased under both halophyte-based managements, which may act to modulate the antioxidant capacity of tomato plants. In summary, this work reveals common and distinctive patterns in tomato under intercropping and crop rotation conditions with the halophyte, supporting the use of A. macrostachyum in farming systems.

• MeSH
• fotosyntéza * MeSH
• halotolerantní rostliny * metabolismus   fyziologie   MeSH
• listy rostlin metabolismus   fyziologie   MeSH
• metabolomika * MeSH
• proteom metabolismus   MeSH
• proteomika * metody   MeSH
• reaktivní formy kyslíku metabolismus   MeSH
• rostlinné proteiny metabolismus   MeSH
• salinita MeSH
• Solanum lycopersicum * metabolismus   fyziologie   růst a vývoj   MeSH
• zemědělské plodiny metabolismus   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• proteom MeSH
• reaktivní formy kyslíku MeSH
• rostlinné proteiny MeSH

Climate change is causing soil salinization, resulting in huge crop losses throughout the world. Multiple physiological and biochemical pathways determine the ability of plants to tolerate salt stress. Chili (Capsicum annum L.) is a salt-susceptible crop; therefore, its growth and yield is negatively impacted by salinity. Irreversible damage at cell level and photo inhibition due to high production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and less CO2 availability caused by water stress is directly linked with salinity. A pot experiment was conducted to determine the impact of five NaCl salinity levels, i.e., 0,1.5, 3.0, 5.0 and 7.0 dS m-1 on growth, biochemical attributes and yield of two chili genotypes ('Plahi' and 'A-120'). Salinity stress significantly reduced fresh and dry weight, relative water contents, water use efficiency, leaf osmotic potential, glycine betaine (GB) contents, photosynthetic rate (A), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (Ci), and chlorophyll contents of tested genotypes. Salinity stress significantly enhanced malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and activities of the enzymatic antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD). In addition, increasing salinity levels significantly reduced the tissue phosphorus and potassium concentrations, while enhanced the tissue sodium and chloride concentrations. Genotype 'Plahi' had better growth and biochemical attributes compared to 'A-120'. Therefore, 'Plahi' is recommended for saline areas to improve chili production.

• MeSH
• Capsicum genetika   růst a vývoj   MeSH
• chlorid sodný škodlivé účinky   MeSH
• chlorofyl genetika   MeSH
• draslík metabolismus   MeSH
• genotyp MeSH
• listy rostlin genetika   růst a vývoj   MeSH
• malondialdehyd metabolismus   MeSH
• peroxidasa genetika   MeSH
• reaktivní formy kyslíku metabolismus   MeSH
• salinita * MeSH
• sodík metabolismus   MeSH
• solný stres genetika   MeSH
• superoxiddismutasa genetika   MeSH
• tolerance k soli genetika   MeSH
• voda chemie   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• publikace stažené z tisku MeSH
• Názvy látek
• chlorid sodný MeSH
• chlorofyl MeSH
• draslík MeSH
• malondialdehyd MeSH
• peroxidasa MeSH
• reaktivní formy kyslíku MeSH
• sodík MeSH
• superoxiddismutasa MeSH
• voda MeSH

Drought stress conditions modify source-sink relations, thereby influencing plant growth, adaptive responses, and consequently crop yield. Invertases are key metabolic enzymes regulating sink activity through the hydrolytic cleavage of sucrose into hexose monomers, thus playing a crucial role in plant growth and development. However, the physiological role of invertases during adaptation to abiotic stress conditions is not yet fully understood. Here it is shown that plant adaptation to drought stress can be markedly improved in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) by overexpression of the cell wall invertase (cwInv) gene CIN1 from Chenopodium rubrum. CIN1 overexpression limited stomatal conductance under normal watering regimes, leading to reduced water consumption during the drought period, while photosynthetic activity was maintained. This caused a strong increase in water use efficiency (up to 50%), markedly improving water stress adaptation through an efficient physiological strategy of dehydration avoidance. Drought stress strongly reduced cwInv activity and induced its proteinaceous inhibitor in the leaves of the wild-type plants. However, the CIN1-overexpressing plants registered 3- to 6-fold higher cwInv activity in all analysed conditions. Surprisingly, the enhanced invertase activity did not result in increased hexose concentrations due to the activation of the metabolic carbohydrate fluxes, as reflected by the maintenance of the activity of key enzymes of primary metabolism and increased levels of sugar-phosphate intermediates under water deprivation. The induced sink metabolism in the leaves explained the maintenance of photosynthetic activity, delayed senescence, and increased source activity under drought stress. Moreover, CIN1 plants also presented a better control of production of reactive oxygen species and sustained membrane protection. Those metabolic changes conferred by CIN1 overexpression were accompanied by increases in the concentrations of the senescence-delaying hormone trans-zeatin and decreases in the senescence-inducing ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) in the leaves. Thus, cwInv critically functions at the integration point of metabolic, hormonal, and stress signals, providing a novel strategy to overcome drought-induced limitations to crop yield, without negatively affecting plant fitness under optimal growth conditions.

• Klíčová slova
• Cell wall invertase, cytokinins, drought stress, ethylene, source–sink relationships, tomato.,
• MeSH
• buněčná stěna enzymologie   MeSH
• Chenopodium genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• ektopická exprese * MeSH
• fotosyntéza MeSH
• geneticky modifikované rostliny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• invertasa genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• listy rostlin metabolismus   MeSH
• období sucha * MeSH
• regulace genové exprese u rostlin * MeSH
• rostlinné proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• Solanum lycopersicum enzymologie   genetika   fyziologie   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• invertasa MeSH
• rostlinné proteiny MeSH