| dc.description.abstract | Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is a vital global crop renowned for its high protein
content and nutritional benefits, making it an essential food source for both humans and
animals. However, soybeans are moderately sensitive to salt, and prolonged exposure to
saline conditions can greatly diminish their productivity and quality. Chitosan (CH) and
their derivatives such as oligochitosan (COS), natural compounds originated from seafood
shells, have shown potential in enhancing plant resistance to various stresses, including
salinity. In this study, a COS product manufactured by a Vietnamese company was
primarily examined for their effects on gene expression in a local salt-sensitive soybean
cultivar MTD-176. To do this, five salt-responsive genes were chosen for expression
examination, including one functional gene (GmPIP1) and four regulatory genes
(GmFDL19, GmDREB2, GmERF5, and GmbZIP1). The obtained data revealed that plant
exposure to salt stress down-regulated the expression of these five studied genes 0.3-0.8
times in comparison to the normal control, suggesting that 15-day treatment might be long
salt stress duration. In addition, following the COS treatment, the expression of four
regulatory genes increased while the expression of the functional gene decreased, with a
stronger expression level when using higher COS concentration. As DREB2, ERF5 and
bZIP1 have been known to regulate many downstream functional genes that are related to
plant defense against salt stress, higher expression levels in the COS-treated plants
indicate a beneficial effect acquired by the soybeans to withstand prolonged salt stress in
aspects such as: water uptake, leaf cell hydration, preventing the entry of Na+
, stomatal
closure, relieving cell membranes from ion damage, relieving cell membranes from ion
damage, regulating the expression levels of several abscisic acid- responsive genes,
reducing transpiration rates, and increasing osmolarities. The findings underscore the
potential efficacy of COS as well as CH as a viable approach to augment salt tolerance in
soybean crops. | en_US |
