ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.

Sec. Plant Breeding

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1548576

High throughput screening and evaluation of salt-tolerant mutants from an EMS collection of Cucurbita pepo

Provisionally accepted
Sonsoles AlonsoSonsoles AlonsoKeshav GautamKeshav GautamJessica IglesiasJessica IglesiasMaría SeguraMaría SeguraMaría del Mar RebollosoMaría del Mar RebollosoCecilia MartínezCecilia Martínez*Manuel JamilenaManuel Jamilena*
  • University of Almeria, Almería, Spain

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Salinity is a major environmental stress limiting crop growth and yield in many arid and semi-arid regions of the world. In this study, we used a germination-based selection method to screen an EMS collection of Cucurbita pepo, consisting of 3,751 M2 lines, for salt tolerance. The screening resulted in the identification of six salt-tolerant mutants that exhibited enhanced germination and plant growth under salt stress conditions. This enhanced salt tolerance was found to be associated with increased production of proline, soluble sugars, and anthocyanins, which are known to exert osmoprotective and ROS scavenging functions. The mutant lines TS-1378 and TS-2075 were selected to be tested as rootstocks and showed a positive effect on the vegetative growth of scions under standard and saline conditions. In conclusion, the research provides an efficient protocol for high throughput screening for salt tolerance, novel useful mutants to study the mechanism behind salt tolerance, and valuable genetic resources for pumpkin breeding.

Keywords: Cucurbita pepo, screening, salt stress, Germination, EMS, mutants, Salttolerance, rootstocks

Received: 19 Dec 2024; Accepted: 17 Apr 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Alonso, Gautam, Iglesias, Segura, Rebolloso, Martínez and Jamilena. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Cecilia Martínez, University of Almeria, Almería, Spain
Manuel Jamilena, University of Almeria, Almería, Spain

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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