AUTHOR=Conversa Giulia , Botticella Lucia , Lazzizera Corrado , Bonasia Anna , Duri Luigi Giuseppe , Elia Antonio 

TITLE=Salinity tolerance in the halophyte species Cakile maritima from the Apulia region, southern Italy

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1662491

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2025.1662491

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=IntroductionCakile maritima is a succulent halophyte from the Brassicaceae family, commonly found along sandy coasts. Understanding its response mechanisms to sodium excess is crucial for its exploitation under sustainable biosaline farming.MethodsFor the first time, this research investigated the pinnatifid C. maritima population from the Apulia region (Italy) grown under varying levels of NaCl (0 -T0, 100 -T100 and 400 -T400 mM NaCl).ResultsThe T100 plants showed higher leaf area (LA) and specific leaf area (SLA) compared to T0, with a slight reduction in succulence index (SI). In T400 plants, a reduction in shoot and root fresh weight, water content (WC), leaf dry weight, LA, and SLA was observed, alongside an increase in SI and dry matter concentration. No changes were detected in leaf Na and Cl concentrations, whereas T400 stems accumulated Na. Leaf K, Mg, and Ca concentrations remained stable. The operating efficiency of PSII (ΦPSII) was similar across treatments. In salt-exposed plants, the decrease of Fv’/Fm’ was counteracted by an improvement of qP, with carotenoids and anthocyanins appearing to be involved in photoprotection. Salt-exposed plants maintained stomatal opening (gs), allowing a higher CO2 assimilation rate (An), especially in T100. Despite unimpaired An, T400 plants exhibited reduced canopy-level photosynthesis due to lower LA, leading to reduced shoot biomass. Among antioxidants, ascorbic acid and anthocyanins were effective in improving the antioxidative defence of T400 plants.DiscussionThe results indicate that C. maritima employs a complex protective strategy involving morphological adjustments, selective ion accumulation, efficient photoprotection, maintained gas exchange, and a potent antioxidant system to mitigate salinity stress, demonstrating its strong potential for biosaline agriculture.