Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Northeast Forestry University, Ministry of Education, Harbin, China; College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
Xingye Dong
Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Northeast Forestry University, Ministry of Education, Harbin, China; College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
Rongrong Zhang
Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Northeast Forestry University, Ministry of Education, Harbin, China; College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
Xianglian Shen
Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Northeast Forestry University, Ministry of Education, Harbin, China; College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
Yan Liu
Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Northeast Forestry University, Ministry of Education, Harbin, China; College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
Shu Wang
State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
Tetsuo Takano
Asian Natural Environmental Science Center (ASNESC), University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Shenkui Liu
State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
Urea is intensively utilized as a nitrogen fertilizer in agriculture, originating either from root uptake or from catabolism of arginine by arginase. Despite its extensive use, the underlying physiological mechanisms of urea, particularly its adverse effects on seed germination and seedling growth under salt stress, remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that salt stress induces excessive hydrolysis of arginine-derived urea, leading to an increase in cytoplasmic pH within seed radical cells, which, in turn, triggers salt-induced inhibition of seed germination (SISG) and hampers seedling growth. Our findings challenge the long-held belief that ammonium accumulation and toxicity are the primary causes of SISG, offering a novel perspective on the mechanism underlying these processes. This study provides significant insights into the physiological impact of urea hydrolysis under salt stress, contributing to a better understanding of SISG.
