Exogenous nitric oxide promotes salinity tolerance in plants: A meta-analysis

Md Tahjib-Ul-Arif; Xiangying Wei; Israt Jahan; Md Hasanuzzaman; Zahid Hasan Sabuj; Faisal Zulfiqar; Jianjun Chen; Rashid Iqbal; Khondoker M G Dastogeer; Abdullah Al Mamun Sohag; Sadia Haque Tonny; Imran Hamid; Ibrahim Al-Ashkar; Mohsen Mirzapour; Ayman El Sabagh; Yoshiyuki Murata

doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.957735

Exogenous nitric oxide promotes salinity tolerance in plants: A meta-analysis

Front Plant Sci. 2022 Nov 7:13:957735. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.957735. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Md Tahjib-Ul-Arif¹, Xiangying Wei², Israt Jahan³, Md Hasanuzzaman⁴, Zahid Hasan Sabuj⁵, Faisal Zulfiqar⁶, Jianjun Chen⁷, Rashid Iqbal⁸, Khondoker M G Dastogeer⁹, Abdullah Al Mamun Sohag¹, Sadia Haque Tonny¹, Imran Hamid¹⁰, Ibrahim Al-Ashkar^{11

12}, Mohsen Mirzapour¹³, Ayman El Sabagh^{14

15}, Yoshiyuki Murata¹⁶

Affiliations

¹ Plant Biology and Biofunctional Chemistry Lab, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
² Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China.
³ Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁴ Department of Biotechnology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
⁵ Breeding Division, Bangladesh Sugarcrop Research Institute, Pabna, Bangladesh.
⁶ Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
⁷ Environmental Horticulture Department and Mid-Florida Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Apopka, FL, United States.
⁸ Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
⁹ Department of Plant Pathology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
¹⁰ Faculty of Animal Husbandry, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
¹¹ Department of Plant Production, College of Food and Agriculture, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
¹² Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
¹³ Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Siirt University, Siirt, Turkey.
¹⁴ Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Siirt University, Siirt, Turkey.
¹⁵ Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr el-sheikh, Egypt.
¹⁶ Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.

Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO) has received much attention since it can boost plant defense mechanisms, and plenty of studies have shown that exogenous NO improves salinity tolerance in plants. However, because of the wide range of experimental settings, it is difficult to assess the administration of optimal dosages, frequency, timing, and method of application and the overall favorable effects of NO on growth and yield improvements. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to reveal the exact physiological and biochemical mechanisms and to understand the influence of plant-related or method-related factors on NO-mediated salt tolerance. Exogenous application of NO significantly influenced biomass accumulation, growth, and yield irrespective of salinity stress. According to this analysis, seed priming and foliar pre-treatment were the most effective methods of NO application to plants. Moreover, one-time and regular intervals of NO treatment were more beneficial for plant growth. The optimum concentration of NO ranges from 0.1 to 0.2 mM, and it alleviates salinity stress up to 150 mM NaCl. Furthermore, the beneficial effect of NO treatment was more pronounced as salinity stress was prolonged (>21 days). This meta-analysis showed that NO supplementation was significantly applicable at germination and seedling stages. Interestingly, exogenous NO treatment boosted plant growth most efficiently in dicots. This meta-analysis showed that exogenous NO alleviates salt-induced oxidative damage and improves plant growth and yield potential by regulating osmotic balance, mineral homeostasis, photosynthetic machinery, the metabolism of reactive oxygen species, and the antioxidant defense mechanism. Our analysis pointed out several research gaps, such as lipid metabolism regulation, reproductive stage performance, C4 plant responses, field-level yield impact, and economic profitability of farmers in response to exogenous NO, which need to be evaluated in the subsequent investigation.

Keywords: NO, photosynthesis; abiotic stress; antioxidants; oxidative stress; plant growth; salt stress.

Publication types

Systematic Review