Copper mitigates salinity stress by regulating water status, photosynthetic pigments and ion homeostasis and increases the yield of Eggplant (Solanum melongena)

• Published in: BMC plant biology Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 927 - 18
• Main Authors: Imran, Shahin, Sarker, Prosenjit, Mahamud, Md Asif, Paul, Newton Chandra, Chakrobortty, Jotirmoy, Harine, Israt Jahan, Rahman, Md Arifur, Rahimi, Mehdi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 05.10.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Abiotic stress; Agricultural production; Analysis; Antioxidants; Calcium ions; Chlorophyll; Cluster analysis; Clustering; Copper; Copper - metabolism; Crop production; Crop yield; Crop yields; Dietary minerals; Diseases and pests; Eggplant; Enzymes; Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; Experiments; Flowering; Flowers; Forecasts and trends; Genetic aspects; Germination; Germination - drug effects; Growth; Growth factors; Health aspects; Homeostasis; Ionic contents; Ions; Laboratories; Magnesium; Metabolism; Moisture content; Morphology; Oxidative stress; Photosynthesis; Photosynthesis - drug effects; Photosynthetic pigments; Physiology; Pigments; Plant growth; Plant layout; Plant pigments; Plants (botany); Priming; Saline environments; Salinity; Salinity effects; Salinity tolerance; Salt; Salt Stress; Salt Tolerance; Seedling growth; Seedlings; Seedlings - drug effects; Seedlings - growth & development; Seedlings - physiology; Seeds; Sodium chloride; Solanum melongena; Solanum melongena - drug effects; Solanum melongena - growth & development; Solanum melongena - metabolism; Solanum melongena - physiology; Supplements; Sustainable agriculture; Sustainable production; Toxicity; Water; Water - metabolism; Water content; Water loss; Yield; Iran; Bangladesh; Yield; Seedling growth; Eggplant; Ionic contents; Photosynthetic pigments; Germination
• ISSN: 1471-2229; 1471-2229
• DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05625-0

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is moderately sensitive to salinity. Seed priming and exogenous supplementation are technique that enhances germination, growth, and crop yield by overcoming salt stress. Therefore, this study was designed to understand the role of seed priming and copper (Cu) supplementation in modulating salt tolerance in eggplant. When exposed to salt stress, eggplant seedlings showed significantly higher Na  content, an increased Na/K ratio, prolonged mean germination time, higher relative water loss, more days to flower bud initiation and first flowering, along with decreased germination rate, growth factors, water content, photosynthetic pigments, ionic contents (K , Ca , Mg ), and yield. The results demonstrated that the germination rate, final germination percentage, germination index, germination energy, and seed vigor index significantly improved, while the mean germination time decreased in Cu-primed seeds. The results also revealed that Cu supplementations increased seedling traits, leaf water content, photosynthetic pigment contents, ionic contents (K , Ca , and Mg ), and yield while decreasing the contents of Na , and Na/K ratio, mean germination time, relative water loss, days to flower bud initiation, and days to 1st flowering under salt stress. Germination of seeds, seedlings growth traits, plant water status, plant pigments, yield, and ionic contents with the NaCl and Cu treatments were found to substantially interact with each other according to both hierarchical clustering and PCA. Overall, Cu seed priming and exogenous supplementation emerged as a promising strategy to enhance salt tolerance and promote germination, growth, and yield by regulating water status, photosynthetic pigments, and ion homeostasis in eggplant seedlings under NaCl stress. These findings provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of Cu-mediated stress alleviation in eggplant, with implications for sustainable crop production in saline environments.