Soil salinization is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting plant growth and development. Plant salt tolerance is controlled by complex metabolic pathways. Exploring effective methods and mechanisms to improve crop salt tolerance has been a key aspect of research on the utilization of saline soil. Exogenous substances, such as plant hormones and signal transduction substances, can regulate ion transmembrane transport and eliminate reactive oxygen species (ROS) to reduce salt stress damage by activating various metabolic processes. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms by which exogenous substances regulate ion transmembrane transport and ROS metabolism to improve plant salt tolerance. The molecular and physiological relationships among exogenous substances in maintaining the ion balance and enhancing ROS clearance are examined, and trends and research directions for the application of exogenous substances for improving plant salt tolerance are proposed.

Meloidogyne incognita is believed to be the most devastating pest causing severe damage to crops, and hence, innovative and effective means of controlling the nematode is the need of the day. The focus of the current study is to devise an effective and innovative myco-fabrication of MgO nanoparticles (NPs) along with melatonin for ef ficient management of M. incognita infecting tomatoes. Fungal extracts were used to synthesize the myco-fabricated NPs through a green synthesis pathway and were veri fied using different spectroscopic means. The nanoparticles exhibited appreciable nematicidal potential, such as drastic egg hatch inhibition and juvenile mortality under in vitro assays. Evaluation of NPs and melatonin in planta, alone or combined form, was investigated on tomato plants already inoculated with M. incognita . The alterations in the nematode population on roots of plants as well as in soil, growth parameters, and biochemical attributes of plants were recorded. A signi ficant reduction in nematode population was revealed on the application of melatonin and myco-fabricated nanoparticles, hence exhibiting an improvement in the plant 's biochemical (glutathione, phenolic, flavonoid, and antioxidant enzymes) and growth parameters. A synergistic impact was shown on the combined application of the treatments. Furthermore, an enhancement in the expression as well as activities of antioxidant enzymes was also observed. Increased resistance of plants against nematodes resulted in connection with the improved antioxidant status of plants due to this combined treatment. The signi ficantly improved growth of plants under M. incognita stress conditions reveals the potential of the proposed treatments having synergistic interaction to manage phyto-parasitic nematodes effectively. This presents innovative means of agricultural biotechnologies that have the potential to contribute to the ef fi- cient management of nematodes infecting plants. (c) 2024 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.