Molecular Tools and Their Applications in Developing Salt-Tolerant Soybean (Glycine max L.) Cultivars

Abstract

Abiotic stresses are one of the significant threats to soybean (Glycine max L.) growth and yields worldwide. Soybean has a crucial role in the global food supply chain and food security and contributes the main protein share compared to other crops. Hence, there is a vast scientific saddle on soybean researchers to develop tolerant genotypes to meet the growing need of food for the huge population. A large portion of cultivated land is damaged by salinity stress, and the situation worsens yearly. In past years, many attempts have increased soybean resilience to salinity stress. Different molecular techniques such as quantitative trait loci mapping (QTL), genetic engineering, transcriptome, transcription factor analysis (TFs), CRISPR/Cas9, as well as other conventional methods are used for the breeding of salt-tolerant cultivars of soybean to safeguard its yield under changing environments. These powerful genetic tools ensure sustainable soybean yields, preserving genetic variability for future use. Only a few reports about a detailed overview of soybean salinity tolerance have been published. Therefore, this review focuses on a detailed overview of several molecular techniques for soybean salinity tolerance and draws a future research direction. Thus, the updated review will provide complete guidelines for researchers working on the genetic mechanism of salinity tolerance in soybean.

Unfolding molecular switches for salt stress resilience in soybean: recent advances and prospects for salt-tolerant smart plant production

“…Salts ions move from the root zone to shoots and accumulate in leaves. Higher concentrations of Na + and Cl − ions in leaves imbalanced the cytoplasmic ion levels and metabolic pathways, eventually hindering the photosynthesis process and productivity in soybean ( Yang and Guo, 2018 ; Rasheed et al., 2022 ; Xu et al., 2022a ). Higher salt concentrations in soil or water in the root zone result in hyperosmotic and hyperionic conditions, which reduce the uptake of water or necessary nutrients, thereby causing osmotic stress ( van Zelm et al., 2020 ).…”

“…Salt stress reduced the quality and quantity of free amino acids, protein, sucrose, and starch content in mature soybean seeds ( El-Sabagh et al., 2015 ; Do et al., 2018 ). Higher transduction of Na + and Cl − from the root zone caused salt toxicity which decreased upto 40% of soybean yield or complete crop failure ( Rasheed et al., 2022 ). Plants adopted various strategies to minimize the Na + and Cl − ionic/osmotic stress by minimizing the water loss or sequestering toxic ions to storage vacuoles ( Deinlein et al., 2014 ; van Zelm et al., 2020 ).…”

Natural resistance of tomato plants to Tomato yellow leaf curl virus

“…In general, plant defense responses triggered by direct or indirect effector sensing by NLR genes involve a variety of downstream signaling pathways, including phytohormones involved in defense, MAPK signaling cascades, and a set of defense-related genes (e.g., WRKY transcription factors) ( Elmore et al., 2011 ; de Ronde et al., 2014 ; Boualem et al., 2016 ; Rasheed et al., 2022 ). After TYLCV inoculation, the SlMAPK1 , SlMAPK2 , and SlMAPK3 were differently upregulated and activated ( Li et al., 2017 ; Guo et al., 2021 ).…”

A novel miR160a–GmARF16–GmMYC2 module determines soybean salt tolerance and adaptation

“…However, soybean growth is negatively impacted by environmental stressors, including soil salinization, which can have drastic and harmful effects on soybean morphology and growth, leading to reduced yield and lower quality seed (Munns & Tester, 2008;Negrão et al, 2011). Compared with other major crops such as wheat and rice, soybean is typically classified as salt-sensitive, with productivity reported to decline by c. 40% even complete failure under salt stress (Rasheed et al, 2022). Salt stress induces osmotic stress, ion toxicity, and mineral-nutrition deficiencies, and disrupts Na + : K + balance (Ismail & Horie, 2017;Gong et al, 2020).…”

“…Compared with other major crops such as wheat and rice, soybean is typically classified as salt‐sensitive, with productivity reported to decline by c . 40% even complete failure under salt stress (Rasheed et al ., 2022). Salt stress induces osmotic stress, ion toxicity, and mineral–nutrition deficiencies, and disrupts Na + : K + balance (Ismail & Horie, 2017; Gong et al ., 2020).…”