Author(s)

Xinran Shen ¹, Qiuyang Li ¹, Yimin Jiang ¹, Peng Cao ¹, Jizhong Wang ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ College of Life Sciences and Food Engineering (College of Agriculture), Huai'an University, Huai'an, 223003, Jiangsu, China

Corresponding Author

Jizhong Wang

ABSTRACT

Global warming exacerbates soil salinization-alkalization, severely limiting plant growth, yield, and agricultural sustainability. Spermidine (Spd), a highly bioactive plant polyamine, effectively alleviates abiotic stress. This review elaborates salt-alkali stress harms: osmotic deficit, ionic toxicity (Na⁺/OH⁻ accumulation), and ROS-induced oxidative burst with membrane lipid peroxidation. It summarizes exogenous Spd's tolerance-enhancing pathways: protecting PSⅠ/PSⅡ and chlorophyll to improve photosynthesis; boosting antioxidant systems (SOD, POD, CAT activity, GSH accumulation); maintaining high K⁺/Na⁺ ratio via ion transporters; promoting osmolytes (e.g., proline) for osmotic balance; and regulating stress gene transcription to activate defenses. Current limitations are highlighted: unclear Spd-phytohormone crosstalk (e.g., ABA, cytokinins), insufficient spatiotemporal gene regulatory network exploration, and unoptimized field application parameters (dosage, timing, delivery). Finally, it prospects agricultural application via multidisciplinary integration, providing a theoretical basis for improving plant salt-alkali tolerance and efficient saline-alkali soil utilization.

KEYWORDS

Exogenous Spermidine; Salt-Alkali Stress; Plant Growth; Research Progress

CITE THIS PAPER

Xinran Shen, Qiuyang Li, Yimin Jiang, Peng Cao, Jizhong Wang. Research Progress on Exogenous Spermidine in Plant Responses to Saline-Alkali Stress. Agricultural & Forestry Economics and Management (2026). Vol. 9, No. 1, 20-26. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/agrfem.2026.090103.

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