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

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...

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Main Authors: Sonsoles Alonso, Keshav Gautam, Jessica Iglesias-Moya, María Segura, María del Mar Rebolloso, María del Carmen Salas-Sanjuán, Cecilia Martínez, Manuel Jamilena
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Plant Science
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1548576/full
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author Sonsoles Alonso
Keshav Gautam
Jessica Iglesias-Moya
María Segura
María del Mar Rebolloso
María del Carmen Salas-Sanjuán
Cecilia Martínez
Manuel Jamilena
author_facet Sonsoles Alonso
Keshav Gautam
Jessica Iglesias-Moya
María Segura
María del Mar Rebolloso
María del Carmen Salas-Sanjuán
Cecilia Martínez
Manuel Jamilena
author_sort Sonsoles Alonso
collection DOAJ
description 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.
format Article
id doaj-art-c0ca98bd2bf44fa593a522266049ec06
institution DOAJ
issn 1664-462X
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Plant Science
spelling doaj-art-c0ca98bd2bf44fa593a522266049ec062025-08-20T03:10:06ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2025-05-011610.3389/fpls.2025.15485761548576High throughput screening and evaluation of salt-tolerant mutants from an EMS collection of Cucurbita pepoSonsoles Alonso0Keshav Gautam1Jessica Iglesias-Moya2María Segura3María del Mar Rebolloso4María del Carmen Salas-Sanjuán5Cecilia Martínez6Manuel Jamilena7Department of Biology and Geology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3), and Research Center CIAMBITAL, University of Almería, Almería, SpainDepartment of Biology and Geology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3), and Research Center CIAMBITAL, University of Almería, Almería, SpainDepartment of Biology and Geology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3), and Research Center CIAMBITAL, University of Almería, Almería, SpainDepartment of Biology and Geology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3), and Research Center CIAMBITAL, University of Almería, Almería, SpainDepartment of Agronomy, and CIAIMBITAL Research Center. University of Almería, Almería, SpainDepartment of Agronomy, and CIAIMBITAL Research Center. University of Almería, Almería, SpainDepartment of Biology and Geology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3), and Research Center CIAMBITAL, University of Almería, Almería, SpainDepartment of Biology and Geology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3), and Research Center CIAMBITAL, University of Almería, Almería, SpainSalinity 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.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1548576/fullCucurbita peposcreeningsalt stressgerminationEMSmutants
spellingShingle Sonsoles Alonso
Keshav Gautam
Jessica Iglesias-Moya
María Segura
María del Mar Rebolloso
María del Carmen Salas-Sanjuán
Cecilia Martínez
Manuel Jamilena
High throughput screening and evaluation of salt-tolerant mutants from an EMS collection of Cucurbita pepo
Frontiers in Plant Science
Cucurbita pepo
screening
salt stress
germination
EMS
mutants
title High throughput screening and evaluation of salt-tolerant mutants from an EMS collection of Cucurbita pepo
title_full High throughput screening and evaluation of salt-tolerant mutants from an EMS collection of Cucurbita pepo
title_fullStr High throughput screening and evaluation of salt-tolerant mutants from an EMS collection of Cucurbita pepo
title_full_unstemmed High throughput screening and evaluation of salt-tolerant mutants from an EMS collection of Cucurbita pepo
title_short High throughput screening and evaluation of salt-tolerant mutants from an EMS collection of Cucurbita pepo
title_sort high throughput screening and evaluation of salt tolerant mutants from an ems collection of cucurbita pepo
topic Cucurbita pepo
screening
salt stress
germination
EMS
mutants
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1548576/full
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