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Volume 14
Issue 23
10.3390/plants14233639
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

NaCl-Induced Dynamic Physiological Response and Growth Stage Sensitivity in Quinoa in Sandy Soils

by
Meseret Gutema Abebe
1,
Elizabeth Manneh
1,
Agnes Aron Dube
1,
Mutsa Muhambi
1,
Mitsuru Tsubo
2,
Kazuhiro Ujiie
3 and
Eiji Nishihara
4,*
1
The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Tottori University, 4-101 Koyama-Minami, Tottori 680-8553, Japan
2
Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, Japan
3
Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Shimane University, 1060 Nishikawatsu-cho, Matsue 690-8504, Japan
4
Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, 4-101 Koyama-Minami, Tottori 680-8553, Japan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2025, 14(23), 3639; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233639 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 6 October 2025 / Revised: 15 November 2025 / Accepted: 24 November 2025 / Published: 28 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Salinity strongly limits crop establishment in arid and semi-arid regions, yet the salinity dynamics of sandy soils, including how these dynamics relate to germination and early growth, remain poorly understood. This study integrated multi-depth, in situ bulk electrical conductivity (ECb) monitoring, converted to ECe, to quantify salinity dynamics and assess their effects on two quinoa genotypes (KD and J009) grown under freshwater (TR1), a single 200 mM NaCl pulse (TR2), or continuous 200 mM NaCl irrigation (TR3). Seed-zone salinity increased sharply following saline irrigation and declined with leaching, and actual emergence began when ECe dropped to approximately 8.4–11 dS m−1. KD showed stronger tolerance to rising salinity, maintaining ~85% emergence compared with ~55% in J009 under TR3, and exhibited 17% faster emergence and greater biomass recovery under TR2. Na+ accumulated mainly in leaves in KD but predominantly in stems in J009, which also experienced a 25% reduction in chlorophyll under continuous salinity, indicating greater photosynthetic inhibition. By linking dynamic EC fluctuations with genotype-specific physiological responses, this study provides a novel approach for defining salinity thresholds, identifying growth stage sensitivities, and improving salinity management in sandy, saline-prone soils.
Keywords: quinoa; stress; sandy soil; electrical conductivity; NaCl; leaching quinoa; stress; sandy soil; electrical conductivity; NaCl; leaching

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Abebe, M.G.; Manneh, E.; Dube, A.A.; Muhambi, M.; Tsubo, M.; Ujiie, K.; Nishihara, E. NaCl-Induced Dynamic Physiological Response and Growth Stage Sensitivity in Quinoa in Sandy Soils. Plants 2025, 14, 3639. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233639

AMA Style

Abebe MG, Manneh E, Dube AA, Muhambi M, Tsubo M, Ujiie K, Nishihara E. NaCl-Induced Dynamic Physiological Response and Growth Stage Sensitivity in Quinoa in Sandy Soils. Plants. 2025; 14(23):3639. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233639

Chicago/Turabian Style

Abebe, Meseret Gutema, Elizabeth Manneh, Agnes Aron Dube, Mutsa Muhambi, Mitsuru Tsubo, Kazuhiro Ujiie, and Eiji Nishihara. 2025. "NaCl-Induced Dynamic Physiological Response and Growth Stage Sensitivity in Quinoa in Sandy Soils" Plants 14, no. 23: 3639. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233639

APA Style

Abebe, M. G., Manneh, E., Dube, A. A., Muhambi, M., Tsubo, M., Ujiie, K., & Nishihara, E. (2025). NaCl-Induced Dynamic Physiological Response and Growth Stage Sensitivity in Quinoa in Sandy Soils. Plants, 14(23), 3639. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233639

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