Effects of Different Modified Biochars on Growth of <i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i> and Corresponding Transcriptome Analysis

Modified biochar can effectively improve the quality and environment of coastal saline–alkali soil, but its effects on the growth and development of halophytes and its mechanism are still unclear. This study systematically evaluated the growth-promoting effects and preliminary mechanisms of H<sub...

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Main Authors: Hao Dai, Mingyun Jia, Jianhui Xue, Yuying Huang, Jinping Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/12/1849
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author Hao Dai
Mingyun Jia
Jianhui Xue
Yuying Huang
Jinping Yu
author_facet Hao Dai
Mingyun Jia
Jianhui Xue
Yuying Huang
Jinping Yu
author_sort Hao Dai
collection DOAJ
description Modified biochar can effectively improve the quality and environment of coastal saline–alkali soil, but its effects on the growth and development of halophytes and its mechanism are still unclear. This study systematically evaluated the growth-promoting effects and preliminary mechanisms of H<sub>3</sub>PO<sub>4</sub>-modified biochar (HBC) and H<sub>3</sub>PO<sub>4</sub>–kaolinite–biochar composite (HBCK) on the economically important halophyte <i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i>. The results demonstrated that the application of HBC/HBCK significantly enhanced plant growth, resulting in increases of over 55% in plant height and greater than 100% in biomass relative to the control. Multidimensional mechanistic analysis revealed the following: (1) accumulation of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) increased by at least 40%, significantly enhancing nutrient uptake; (2) increases in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) by over 100% and 70%, respectively, markedly boosting antioxidant capacity and effectively alleviating oxidative stress; (3) molecular regulation via the activation of transcription factor networks (HSP, MYB, TCP, AP2/ERF, bZIP, and NLP) and modulation of key genes in ABA, BR, and JA signaling pathways (CYP707A, CYP90, and OPR2), establishing a multi-layered stress adaptation and growth promotion system. Beyond assessing the growth-promoting effects of modified biochars, this study provides novel insights into the regulatory transcription factor networks and phytohormone signaling pathways, offering theoretical foundations for the molecular design of biochars for saline–alkali soil remediation.
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spelling doaj-art-5d95c8276bbf4c3585d6c51ca63f29512025-08-20T03:16:36ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-06-011412184910.3390/plants14121849Effects of Different Modified Biochars on Growth of <i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i> and Corresponding Transcriptome AnalysisHao Dai0Mingyun Jia1Jianhui Xue2Yuying Huang3Jinping Yu4Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, ChinaJiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, ChinaJiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, ChinaCollege of Biomedicine and Health, Anhui Science and Technology University, Chuzhou 233100, ChinaJiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, ChinaModified biochar can effectively improve the quality and environment of coastal saline–alkali soil, but its effects on the growth and development of halophytes and its mechanism are still unclear. This study systematically evaluated the growth-promoting effects and preliminary mechanisms of H<sub>3</sub>PO<sub>4</sub>-modified biochar (HBC) and H<sub>3</sub>PO<sub>4</sub>–kaolinite–biochar composite (HBCK) on the economically important halophyte <i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i>. The results demonstrated that the application of HBC/HBCK significantly enhanced plant growth, resulting in increases of over 55% in plant height and greater than 100% in biomass relative to the control. Multidimensional mechanistic analysis revealed the following: (1) accumulation of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) increased by at least 40%, significantly enhancing nutrient uptake; (2) increases in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) by over 100% and 70%, respectively, markedly boosting antioxidant capacity and effectively alleviating oxidative stress; (3) molecular regulation via the activation of transcription factor networks (HSP, MYB, TCP, AP2/ERF, bZIP, and NLP) and modulation of key genes in ABA, BR, and JA signaling pathways (CYP707A, CYP90, and OPR2), establishing a multi-layered stress adaptation and growth promotion system. Beyond assessing the growth-promoting effects of modified biochars, this study provides novel insights into the regulatory transcription factor networks and phytohormone signaling pathways, offering theoretical foundations for the molecular design of biochars for saline–alkali soil remediation.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/12/1849modified biochar<i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i>salt–alkali tolerancetranscription factor networkphytohormone signaling
spellingShingle Hao Dai
Mingyun Jia
Jianhui Xue
Yuying Huang
Jinping Yu
Effects of Different Modified Biochars on Growth of <i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i> and Corresponding Transcriptome Analysis
Plants
modified biochar
<i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i>
salt–alkali tolerance
transcription factor network
phytohormone signaling
title Effects of Different Modified Biochars on Growth of <i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i> and Corresponding Transcriptome Analysis
title_full Effects of Different Modified Biochars on Growth of <i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i> and Corresponding Transcriptome Analysis
title_fullStr Effects of Different Modified Biochars on Growth of <i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i> and Corresponding Transcriptome Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Effects of Different Modified Biochars on Growth of <i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i> and Corresponding Transcriptome Analysis
title_short Effects of Different Modified Biochars on Growth of <i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i> and Corresponding Transcriptome Analysis
title_sort effects of different modified biochars on growth of i kosteletzkya virginica i and corresponding transcriptome analysis
topic modified biochar
<i>Kosteletzkya virginica</i>
salt–alkali tolerance
transcription factor network
phytohormone signaling
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/12/1849
work_keys_str_mv AT haodai effectsofdifferentmodifiedbiocharsongrowthofikosteletzkyavirginicaiandcorrespondingtranscriptomeanalysis
AT mingyunjia effectsofdifferentmodifiedbiocharsongrowthofikosteletzkyavirginicaiandcorrespondingtranscriptomeanalysis
AT jianhuixue effectsofdifferentmodifiedbiocharsongrowthofikosteletzkyavirginicaiandcorrespondingtranscriptomeanalysis
AT yuyinghuang effectsofdifferentmodifiedbiocharsongrowthofikosteletzkyavirginicaiandcorrespondingtranscriptomeanalysis
AT jinpingyu effectsofdifferentmodifiedbiocharsongrowthofikosteletzkyavirginicaiandcorrespondingtranscriptomeanalysis