Soil salinity is one of the most limiting stresses for crop productivity and quality worldwide. In this sense, jasmonates (JAs) have emerged as phytohormones that play essential roles in mediating plant response to abiotic stresses, including salt stress. Here, we reviewed the mechanisms underlying the activation and response of the JA-biosynthesis and JA-signaling pathways under saline conditions in Arabidopsis and several crops. In this sense, molecular components of JA-signaling such as MYC2 transcription factor and JASMONATE ZIM-DOMAIN (JAZ) repressors are key players for the JA-associated response. Moreover, we review the antagonist and synergistic effects between JA and other hormones such as abscisic acid (ABA). From an applied point of view, several reports have shown that exogenous JA applications increase the antioxidant response in plants to alleviate salt stress. Finally, we discuss the latest advances in genomic techniques for the improvement of crop tolerance to salt stress with a focus on jasmonates.

Fungal diseases lead to significant losses in soybean yields and a decline in seed quality; such is the case of the Asian soybean rust and anthracnose caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi and Colletotrichum truncatum, respectively. Currently, the development of transgenic plants carrying antifungal defensins offers an alternative for plant protection against pathogens. This paper shows the production of transgenic soybean plants expressing the NmDef02 defensin gene using the biolistic delivery system, in an attempt to improve resistance against diseases and reduce the need for chemicals. Transgenic lines were assessed in field conditions under the natural infections of P. pachyrhizi and C. truncatum. The constitutive expression of the NmDef02 gene in transgenic soybean plants was shown to enhance resistance against these important plant pathogens. The quantification of the P. pachyrhizi biomass in infected soybean leaves revealed significant differences between transgenic lines and the non-transgenic control. In certain transgenic lines there was a strong reduction of fungal biomass, revealing a less severe disease. Integration and expression of the transgenes were confirmed by PCR, Southern blot, and qRT-PCR, where the Def1 line showed a higher relative expression of defensin. It was also found that the expression of the NmDef02 defensin gene in plants of the Def1 line did not have a negative effect on the nodulation induced by Bradyrhizobium japonicum. These results indicate that transgenic soybean plants expressing the NmDef02 defensin gene have a substantially enhanced resistance to economically important diseases, providing a sound environmental approach for decreasing yield losses and lowering the burden of chemicals in agriculture.

Soybean is highly affected by weeds in tropical countries, causing significant losses in yields. Transgenic herbicide resistant soybeans have been produced in a limited number of varieties and parental lines. This study was conducted to obtain glyphosate herbicide resistant transgenic soybean plants through particle bombardment of embryonic axes in a Cuban variety. Shoot regeneration in 25 mg/L of glyphosate occurred within a short period and plantlets developed roots in a medium without selection pressure, which favored the in vitro growth of plants at a transformation frequency of 3.1–6.0 %. Expression and integration of the cp4epsps gene was confirmed in the progeny by an immune-detection assay, PCR and Southern blot. All greenhouse evaluated transgenic soybean lines (T₁) displayed tolerance to 1.25 Kg/ha of glyphosate. Growth and seed development of transformed plants was similar to untransformed plants. The regeneration procedure using embryonic axes combined with the efficient selection of shoots in glyphosate enabled the production of transgenic plants of this Cuban genotype, showing high tolerance to the herbicide, good efficiency and reproducibility.

Sucrose non-fermenting 1–related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) subfamily members are central regulators of plant development and abiotic stress signaling; however, their molecular features and stress-responsive roles remain largely unexplored in cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa). Here, we characterized the SnRK2 gene subfamily in strawberry by integrating genomic, phylogenetic, structural, and expression analyses. A total of 32 FaSnRK2 genes were identified and classified into three conserved groups, indicating evolutionary conservation and diversification predating the monocot–dicot split. Expression profiling revealed distinct and dynamic transcriptional patterns of FaSnRK2s during fruit development and ripening. We further analyzed FaSnRK2 expression in leaves and roots of axenic–grown strawberry plants under high-salt stress. Salt treatment triggered rapid and gene-specific transcriptional responses with marked tissue-dependent differences. Leaves showed an early and coordinated induction of several FaSnRK2s, whereas roots displayed more heterogeneous expression dynamics, including sustained repression or transient activation of different FaSnRK2s. Notably, FaSnRK2.6 exhibited the strongest induction in leaves, while showing a more modest and delayed response in roots, suggesting tissue-specific roles in salt stress signaling. Temporal changes in FaSnRK2 expression were also detected in control plants, indicating that these kinases are likely sensitive to environmental perturbations, although developmentally associated responses cannot be ruled out. Overall, our results reveal the structural diversity and complex tissue-specific regulation of the FaSnRK2s and provide the first comprehensive evidence of their involvement in salt stress responses in cultivated strawberry, establishing a foundation for future functional studies aimed at improving stress tolerance in this high-value crop.