Improved yield, fruit quality, and salt resistance in tomato co-overexpressing LeNHX2 and SlSOS2 genes

• Published in: Physiology and molecular biology of plants Vol. 27; no. 4; pp. 703 - 712
• Main Authors: Maach, Mostapha, Rodríguez-Rosales, María Pilar, Venema, Kees, Akodad, Mustapha, Moumen, Abdelmajid, Skalli, Ali, Baghour, Mourad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Delhi Springer India 01-04-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biological and Medical Physics; Biomass; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biophysics; Cell Biology; Crop production; Crop yield; Cultivation; Food quality; Fruit cultivation; Fruits; Glucose; Kinases; Leaves; Life Sciences; Na+/H+-exchanging ATPase; pH effects; Plant biomass; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Plants; Proline; Proteins; Research Article; Salinity tolerance; Salt; Salt tolerance; Sodium chloride; Tomatoes; Transgenic plants; Osmoprotectant; Salinity tolerance; and; co-overexpression; LeNHX2 and SlSOS2 co-overexpression; Solanum Lycopersicum
• ISSN: 0971-5894; 0974-0430
• DOI: 10.1007/s12298-021-00974-8

The K
+
, Na
+
/H
+
antiporter LeNHX2 and the regulatory kinase SlSOS2 are important determinants of salt tolerance in tomato plants and their fruit production ability. In this work, we have analyzed the effects of
LeNHX2
and
SlSOS2
co-overexpression on fruit production, quality in tomato plants (
Solanum lycopersicum
L. cv. MicroTom), and analyzed physiological parameters related to salt tolerance. Plants overexpressing
LeNHX2
,
SlSOS2
or both were grown in greenhouse. They were treated with 125 mM NaCl or left untreated and their salt tolerance was analyzed in terms of plant biomass and fruit yield. Under NaCl cultivation conditions, transgenic tomato plants overexpressing either
SlSOS2
or
LeNHX2
or both grew better and showed a higher biomass compared to their wild-type plants. Proline, glucose and protein content in leaves as well as pH and total soluble solid (TSS) in fruits were analyzed. Our results indicate that salinity tolerance of transgenic lines is associated with an increased proline, glucose and protein content in leaves of plants grown either with or without NaCl. Salt treatment significantly reduced yield, pH and TSS in fruits of WT plants but increased yield, pH and TSS in fruits of transgenic plants, especially those overexpressing both
LeNHX2
and
SlSOS2
. All these results indicate that the co-overexpression of
LeNHX2
and
SlSOS2
improve yield and fruit quality of tomato grown under saline conditions.