Zhang Dongmei, Li Jinxia, Zhang Yiming, Zhang Yuanhao, Wang Wenhui, Li Zhaohui, Zhu Peng, Huang Yongshun, Han Long, Wang Mingyu, Zhang Zijian, Shen Zhongbao, Han Weibo, Mou Linlin, Zhuang Xu, Pang Qiuying, Wang Jianli, Li Lixin
Institute of Forage and Grassland Sciences, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China.
Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.
Biology (Basel). 2025 Apr 18;14(4):439. doi: 10.3390/biology14040439.
Alfalfa () is a perennial forage crop with significant economic and ecological significance. If alfalfa can be planted in saline-alkali land, it will not only improve the utilization rate of marginal land and alleviate the competition between forage and cereal crops for arable land but will also increase the yield of high-quality domestic forage. In this study, we conducted transcriptomic analysis on the saline-alkali-tolerant alfalfa cultivar NQ-1 and compared its metabolite accumulation levels with saline-alkali-sensitive cultivars. The results showed that under saline-alkali stress, the photosynthesis and some secondary metabolic pathways in NQ-1 were activated, such as α-Linolenic acid metabolism, Phenylpropanoid and Flavonoid biosynthesis, and Photosynthesis-related pathways, providing substances and energy for enhancing NQ-1 stress tolerance. Furthermore, some specific flavonoids were detected that may contribute to the saline-alkali tolerance of NQ-1. In addition, transcription factors that may regulate flavonoid biosynthesis in NQ-1 under saline-alkali stress were also identified. This study deepens the understanding of the resistance mechanism of saline-alkali-tolerant cultivars of alfalfa and provides valuable information for molecular design breeding strategies for stress-resistant alfalfa.
紫花苜蓿（Medicago sativa）是一种具有重要经济和生态意义的多年生饲料作物。如果紫花苜蓿能够种植在盐碱地中，不仅会提高边际土地的利用率，缓解饲料作物与谷类作物对耕地的竞争，还会增加国内优质饲料的产量。在本研究中，我们对耐盐碱紫花苜蓿品种NQ-1进行了转录组分析，并将其代谢物积累水平与盐碱敏感品种进行了比较。结果表明，在盐碱胁迫下，NQ-1中的光合作用和一些次生代谢途径被激活，如α-亚麻酸代谢、苯丙烷类和类黄酮生物合成以及光合作用相关途径，为增强NQ-1的胁迫耐受性提供物质和能量。此外，检测到一些特定的类黄酮，它们可能有助于NQ-1的耐盐碱能力。此外，还鉴定了在盐碱胁迫下可能调控NQ-1中类黄酮生物合成的转录因子。本研究加深了对耐盐碱紫花苜蓿品种抗性机制的理解，并为抗逆紫花苜蓿的分子设计育种策略提供了有价值的信息。
