Synergistic Effects of Salt-Tolerant PGPR and Foliar Silicon on Pak Choi Antioxidant Defense Under Salt Stress

Salinization severely impairs crop growth by inducing oxidative stress and disrupting cellular homeostasis. This study systematically investigates the synergistic effects of salt-tolerant plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (ST-PGPR) and foliar silicon fertilizer spraying (FSFS) on antioxidant resp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jieru Zhao, Qibiao Han, Bingjian Cui, Juan Wang, Chao Hu, Rui Li, Yanyu Lin, Ying Xu, Chuncheng Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Plants
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/13/2065
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849319810331049984
author Jieru Zhao
Qibiao Han
Bingjian Cui
Juan Wang
Chao Hu
Rui Li
Yanyu Lin
Ying Xu
Chuncheng Liu
author_facet Jieru Zhao
Qibiao Han
Bingjian Cui
Juan Wang
Chao Hu
Rui Li
Yanyu Lin
Ying Xu
Chuncheng Liu
author_sort Jieru Zhao
collection DOAJ
description Salinization severely impairs crop growth by inducing oxidative stress and disrupting cellular homeostasis. This study systematically investigates the synergistic effects of salt-tolerant plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (ST-PGPR) and foliar silicon fertilizer spraying (FSFS) on antioxidant responses in Pak choi under salt stress. Two-season pot experiments were carried out to evaluate key indicators, including antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase: SOD; peroxidase: POD; catalase: CAT), oxidative stress (malondialdehyde: MDA), osmolyte accumulation (proline, soluble protein), and hormones (Jasmonic Acid: JA; Salicylic Acid: SA; Abscisic acid: ABA). The results demonstrate that combining ST-PGPR with FSFS significantly enhances SOD (6.18–2353.85%), POD (3.44–153.29%), and CAT (25.71–319.29%) activities while reducing MDA content (8.12–35.87%). Proline and soluble protein levels increased by 1.56–15.71% and 5.03–188.87%, respectively. Hormonal regulation increased JA, SA, and ABA levels by 1.05–31.81%, 2.09–34.29%, and 3.18–30.09%, respectively. Notably, ST-PGPR treatments at 10<sup>4</sup> and 10<sup>6</sup> cfu·mL<sup>−1</sup>, combined with foliar silicon application, consistently ranked highest in overall antioxidant performance across both seasons based on a principal component analysis. These findings provide novel insights into microbial–mineral interactions for sustainable saline agriculture.
format Article
id doaj-art-e219ab3a17d0481eb4001b48bd248e95
institution Kabale University
issn 2223-7747
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Plants
spelling doaj-art-e219ab3a17d0481eb4001b48bd248e952025-08-20T03:50:20ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-07-011413206510.3390/plants14132065Synergistic Effects of Salt-Tolerant PGPR and Foliar Silicon on Pak Choi Antioxidant Defense Under Salt StressJieru Zhao0Qibiao Han1Bingjian Cui2Juan Wang3Chao Hu4Rui Li5Yanyu Lin6Ying Xu7Chuncheng Liu8College of Hydraulic Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, ChinaInstitute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453002, ChinaInstitute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453002, ChinaCollege of Hydraulic Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, ChinaInstitute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453002, ChinaInstitute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453002, ChinaInstitute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453002, ChinaCollege of Hydraulic Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, ChinaInstitute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453002, ChinaSalinization severely impairs crop growth by inducing oxidative stress and disrupting cellular homeostasis. This study systematically investigates the synergistic effects of salt-tolerant plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (ST-PGPR) and foliar silicon fertilizer spraying (FSFS) on antioxidant responses in Pak choi under salt stress. Two-season pot experiments were carried out to evaluate key indicators, including antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase: SOD; peroxidase: POD; catalase: CAT), oxidative stress (malondialdehyde: MDA), osmolyte accumulation (proline, soluble protein), and hormones (Jasmonic Acid: JA; Salicylic Acid: SA; Abscisic acid: ABA). The results demonstrate that combining ST-PGPR with FSFS significantly enhances SOD (6.18–2353.85%), POD (3.44–153.29%), and CAT (25.71–319.29%) activities while reducing MDA content (8.12–35.87%). Proline and soluble protein levels increased by 1.56–15.71% and 5.03–188.87%, respectively. Hormonal regulation increased JA, SA, and ABA levels by 1.05–31.81%, 2.09–34.29%, and 3.18–30.09%, respectively. Notably, ST-PGPR treatments at 10<sup>4</sup> and 10<sup>6</sup> cfu·mL<sup>−1</sup>, combined with foliar silicon application, consistently ranked highest in overall antioxidant performance across both seasons based on a principal component analysis. These findings provide novel insights into microbial–mineral interactions for sustainable saline agriculture.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/13/2065antioxidant enzyme activationosmolyte accumulationhormonal regulationprincipal component analysissustainable saline agriculture
spellingShingle Jieru Zhao
Qibiao Han
Bingjian Cui
Juan Wang
Chao Hu
Rui Li
Yanyu Lin
Ying Xu
Chuncheng Liu
Synergistic Effects of Salt-Tolerant PGPR and Foliar Silicon on Pak Choi Antioxidant Defense Under Salt Stress
Plants
antioxidant enzyme activation
osmolyte accumulation
hormonal regulation
principal component analysis
sustainable saline agriculture
title Synergistic Effects of Salt-Tolerant PGPR and Foliar Silicon on Pak Choi Antioxidant Defense Under Salt Stress
title_full Synergistic Effects of Salt-Tolerant PGPR and Foliar Silicon on Pak Choi Antioxidant Defense Under Salt Stress
title_fullStr Synergistic Effects of Salt-Tolerant PGPR and Foliar Silicon on Pak Choi Antioxidant Defense Under Salt Stress
title_full_unstemmed Synergistic Effects of Salt-Tolerant PGPR and Foliar Silicon on Pak Choi Antioxidant Defense Under Salt Stress
title_short Synergistic Effects of Salt-Tolerant PGPR and Foliar Silicon on Pak Choi Antioxidant Defense Under Salt Stress
title_sort synergistic effects of salt tolerant pgpr and foliar silicon on pak choi antioxidant defense under salt stress
topic antioxidant enzyme activation
osmolyte accumulation
hormonal regulation
principal component analysis
sustainable saline agriculture
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/13/2065
work_keys_str_mv AT jieruzhao synergisticeffectsofsalttolerantpgprandfoliarsilicononpakchoiantioxidantdefenseundersaltstress
AT qibiaohan synergisticeffectsofsalttolerantpgprandfoliarsilicononpakchoiantioxidantdefenseundersaltstress
AT bingjiancui synergisticeffectsofsalttolerantpgprandfoliarsilicononpakchoiantioxidantdefenseundersaltstress
AT juanwang synergisticeffectsofsalttolerantpgprandfoliarsilicononpakchoiantioxidantdefenseundersaltstress
AT chaohu synergisticeffectsofsalttolerantpgprandfoliarsilicononpakchoiantioxidantdefenseundersaltstress
AT ruili synergisticeffectsofsalttolerantpgprandfoliarsilicononpakchoiantioxidantdefenseundersaltstress
AT yanyulin synergisticeffectsofsalttolerantpgprandfoliarsilicononpakchoiantioxidantdefenseundersaltstress
AT yingxu synergisticeffectsofsalttolerantpgprandfoliarsilicononpakchoiantioxidantdefenseundersaltstress
AT chunchengliu synergisticeffectsofsalttolerantpgprandfoliarsilicononpakchoiantioxidantdefenseundersaltstress