Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding 2025, Vol.15, No.2, 44-53 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/tgmb 49 5 Resistance of Soapberry Seedlings to Abiotic Stress 5.1 Types of abiotic stress Like many other plants, young soapberry seedlings also encounter various external environments that are unfavorable for their growth, such as drought and water shortage, excessive soil salinity, and fluctuating temperatures. During drought, there is insufficient water, and water is particularly important for the growth processes such as photosynthesis and nutrient transportation of seedlings. Water shortage will affect the growth and even survival of seedlings (Jisha and Puthur, 2015). Too much salt in the soil makes it difficult for seedlings to absorb water and nutrients and can also cause poisoning. This is salt stress (Singh and Kumar, 2021). Excessive temperature changes, whether extremely hot or cold, can interfere with the normal operation and internal activities of seedlings’ cells, leading to poor growth of the seedlings (Qamar et al., 2022). These unfavorable external environments can harm the growth process of young soapberry seedlings. For instance, drought and high soil salinity can cause oxidative damage to seedlings, just like having ‘bad things” in the body, which can destroy the fat, protein and genetic material in the cells (Jisha and Puthur, 2015; Singh and Kumar, 2021). Large fluctuations in temperature can also be unbearable for seedlings, affecting the stability and normal functions of cells (Qamar et al., 2022). 5.2 Resistance mechanisms of Quercus plants The young soapberry seedlings gradually developed some ways to cope with adverse environments. One of the important methods is to accumulate substances that can regulate the state of cells, such as proline and betaine. These substances can enable cells to maintain a normal state in adverse environments and protect the cell structure (Jisha and Puthur, 2015). In addition, seedlings will also activate their own “defense forces”. Substances such as superoxide dismutase and catalase can eliminate the “bad things” in cells and reduce damage (Singh and Kumar, 2021). Another key approach is to alter one’s own growth process, such as enhancing the efficiency of photosynthesis and making more rational use of water, so that it can grow even in times of water shortage (Jisha and Puthur, 2015). When encountering a bad environment, certain genes in seedlings will “activate” and produce related proteins to counteract these stresses (Singh and Kumar, 2021). 5.3 Methods for enhancing abiotic resilience To make the young soapberry seedlings more resistant to adverse external environments, the following methods can be used. Selecting those seedlings that are naturally highly resilient and then cultivating their offspring can gradually lead to the development of more stress-resistant varieties. Select individuals with good tolerance, and the entire population can become stronger (Puentes et al., 2018). Finding plants with strong stress resistance and using them for propagation can fundamentally enhance the stress tolerance (Singh and Kumar, 2021). Another approach is to “assist” at the seed stage by treating the seeds with substances that can promote growth or protect cells, enabling the seedlings to better cope with harsh environments. For instance, treating seeds with β -amn-butyric acid can make seedlings more drought-tolerant and salt-tolerant because it can enhance the physiological and internal responses of seedlings (Jisha and Puthur, 2015; Qamar et al., 2022). 5.4 The influence of optimized propagation on stress resilience The improved propagation methods, such as rapid cultivation and cutting propagation, have a significant impact on the stress resistance of soapberry seedlings. Rapid cultivation can quickly produce seedlings with the same genes and no diseases, which is crucial for maintaining the excellent characteristics of seedlings and enhancing their stress resistance (Asthana et al., 2011). When propagating, using specific growth agents can enable the root systems of seedlings to grow better, adapt to the environment more quickly and become stronger (Yang, 2010). Moreover, a good propagation method can also pass on the characteristic of stress resistance to more seedlings. By selecting individuals with strong stress resistance for reproduction, varieties that are more adaptable to the environment can be cultivated. In this way, saponin seedlings are more likely to survive and grow in adverse environments, which is also conducive to the long-term cultivation of this plant with high economic value (Yang, 2010; Asthana et al., 2011).
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