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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.

Sec. Plant Abiotic Stress

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1681992

Foliar Spray of Prohexadione-calcium Improves the Adaptability of Mung Bean to Saline-alkali Stress

Provisionally accepted
Xilong  LiangXilong LiangYanlei  DongYanlei DongQiuyu  JiangQiuyu JiangXue  HouXue HouYang  SongYang SongFengzhou  ZhaoFengzhou ZhaoYu  SunYu SunHaipeng  JiangHaipeng JiangShumei  FangShumei Fang*Qingyan  WangQingyan Wang*
  • Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Abstract: Saline-alkali soils are a major constraint to mung bean cultivation and extension, and Prohexadione-calcium (Pro-Ca) can enhance plant tolerance to saline-alkali stress. In order to explore the regulatory effect and mechanism of Pro-Ca on mung bean growth under saline-alkali stress, the morphology, ultrastructure, physiological indicators, and gene expression were measured in this study. The results indicate that Pro-Ca can improve the adaptability of mung bean to saline-alkali stress. Specifically, it manifests as increasing dry matter accumulation, protecting the structural integrity and quantity of organelles such as chloroplasts and mitochondria, enhancing photosynthetic capacity, increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and the content of osmoregulatory substances. These changes may be related to the enhanced expression of calcium signal transmission and the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), polyamines and jasmonic acid in the root system under saline-alkali stress. Our findings partially explain the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which Pro-Ca enhances the tolerance and adaptability of mung bean plants to saline-alkali stress. This may become an effective strategy for the utilization of saline-alkali soil.

Keywords: Mung bean, Saline-alkali stress, Prohexadione-calcium, Physiological andmolecular mechanisms, Transcriptomics

Received: 08 Aug 2025; Accepted: 06 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Liang, Dong, Jiang, Hou, Song, Zhao, Sun, Jiang, Fang and Wang. 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:
Shumei Fang, fangshumei520@126.com
Qingyan Wang, wangqyan1201160@163.com

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.