Synergistic Effects of Salicylic Acid and Bacillus butanolivorans KJ40 for Enhancing Napa Cabbage (Brassica napa subsp. pekinensis) Resilience to Water-Deficit Stress
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear Editors and Authors,
I read the manuscript entitled “Synergistic effects of salicylic acid and Bacillus butanolivorans KJ40 for enhancing napa cabbage resilience to water deficit stress”. This study demonstrates the determination of the proper concentrations of salicylic acid and Bacillus butanolivorans KJ40 for promoting growth and drought tolerance. Additionally, it investigates whether improved drought tolerance in napa cabbage is achieved through enzymatic antioxidant activity, accumulation of salicylic acid and glucosinolate, and impacts on soil microbial activity. Therefore, the manuscript needs some adjustments so that it can then be forwarded to the publication process. The manuscript has the potential for publication in the journal Horticulturae and needs the following adjustments:
TITLE
Add the scientific name of the species.
ABSTRACT
Start with an excerpt on the topic of the study. The authors begin the Abstract by mentioning the objectives of the study.
Enter information about the material and methods. The objectives are mentioned and then the main results are found. I suggest entering this new information. The structure of the abstract must be the same as the structure of the entire body of the article: introduction, material and methods, results, and conclusion.
There is no information on how treatments for water deficit were determined.
Change the keywords that are repeated in the title.
INTRODUCTION
- Check the standards for references. See reference citation no. 17.
- Add hypotheses before objectives.
- Is the beginning of the last paragraph the objective of the work? This is confusing. See the next suggestion.
- The objective must be modified. This should be simple and objective. The objective is mentioned and then there is another excerpt complementing the information. Put everything together in one section.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
- Insert an opening paragraph with information about the study location. This information is very important for the study. Insert geographic coordinates of the location, weather conditions, etc... The first paragraph should contain this information.
- It is necessary to insert a topic describing the treatments and experimental design. Some information was described together with the growth variables (topic 2.2.).
- In topic 2.8. It is mentioned that 30 replications of 3 experiments were used for the analyses. Were there 30 repetitions of each experiment or treatment? This should be described in the topic of experimental design. Also, enter how many plants were considered as an experimental plot. One or two...?
- This experiment is in a double factorial design (4x4) and the statistics must be analyzed in this way. Water stress levels and AS concentrations were used.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
- When describing the results, it is not necessary to mention significance, e.g. p<0.01 p<0.05.
- In Figure 1, why were there two separate comparisons (two * in each graph)? The ideal would be to use a mean comparison test and within these graphs, there should be upper and lower case letters. The treatments were compared without separating the factors.
- Using statistics in a factorial scheme will modify the results and help to better understand the new findings of the study.
Author Response
Reviewer 1
TITLE
Add the scientific name of the species.
Response : Line 2: The scientific name of the plant has been included.
ABSTRACT
Start with an excerpt on the topic of the study. The authors begin the Abstract by mentioning the objectives of the study.Enter information about the material and methods. The objectives are mentioned and then the main results are found. I suggest entering this new information. The structure of the abstract must be the same as the structure of the entire body of the article: introduction, material and methods, results, and conclusion.There is no information on how treatments for water deficit were determined.
Response : Line 10-11, 13,16: We have included an introduction, materials, and methods in the abstract, which encompass descriptions of the water-deficit condition and combined treatment.
Change the keywords that are repeated in the title.
Response : Line 24-25: The keywords have been modified.
INTRODUCTION
Check the standards for references. See reference citation no. 17.
Response : We have transitioned to the reference citation format.
Add hypotheses before objectives. Is the beginning of the last paragraph the objective of the work? This is confusing. See the next suggestion. The objective must be modified. This should be simple and objective. The objective is mentioned and then there is another excerpt complementing the information. Put everything together in one section.
Response : Line 83-92: The hypotheses and objectives have been rewritten.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Insert an opening paragraph with information about the study location. This information is very important for the study. Insert geographic coordinates of the location, weather conditions, etc... The first paragraph should contain this information.
Response : Line 107-108, We have added the study location
It is necessary to insert a topic describing the treatments and experimental design. Some information was described together with the growth variables (topic 2.2.).
Response : Line105-121: We included information about the treatments, design, and variables.
In topic 2.8. It is mentioned that 30 replications of 3 experiments were used for the analyses. Were there 30 repetitions of each experiment or treatment? This should be described in the topic of experimental design. Also, enter how many plants were considered as an experimental plot. One or two...?
Response : Line 120-122, 139-140, 177-178, 192-193, We mentioned in detail in material and methods.
This experiment is in a double factorial design (4x4) and the statistics must be analyzed in this way. Water stress levels and AS concentrations were used.
Response : We conducted statistical analyses to compare conditions and performed separate statistical comparisons between the control and each treatment under both stressed and unstressed conditions.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
When describing the results, it is not necessary to mention significance, e.g. p<0.01 p<0.05. - In Figure 1, why were there two separate comparisons (two * in each graph)? The ideal would be to use a mean comparison test and within these graphs, there should be upper and lower case letters. The treatments were compared without separating the factors. - Using statistics in a factorial scheme will modify the results and help to better understand the new findings of the study.
Response : We conducted t-tests between the control and each treatment, with significance levels indicated by asterisks. Additionally, significance was mentioned to denote levels of synergistic effect. Our statistical analyses primarily focused on comparing conditions and then comparing the control and each treatment under each condition to assess synergistic effects within each condition, therefore, we did not compare treatments between conditions.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe article "Synergistic Effects of Salicylic Acid and Bacillus butanolivorans KJ40 for Enhancing Napa Cabbage Resilience to Water Deficit Stress" by Kim et al. addresses a specific gap by exploring the synergistic effects of a plant hormone (SA) and a beneficial soil bacterium (KJ40) on enhancing plant tolerance to drought conditions. The findings are particularly important in the context of climate change, where water availability is becoming increasingly unpredictable and limited.
The paper contributes significantly to the subject area by demonstrating that the combined application of SA and KJ40 can mitigate some of the negative impacts of water deficit stress in napa cabbage. Additionally, the study provides insights into soil microbial dynamics, showing how SA and KJ40 influence soil metabolic activity and substrate utilization patterns. This dual approach of addressing both plant physiology and soil microbiology adds a comprehensive perspective to current strategies for managing drought stress in crops.
The methodology is robust, but the authors could consider several improvements, if possible, and of not for the current work point out as further possible analyses, such as incorporating molecular techniques, such as transcriptomics or proteomics, which can uncover the underlying mechanisms driving the synergistic effects.
The main questions regarding the impact of SA and KJ40 on plant growth, stress tolerance, and soil microbial dynamics are thoroughly addressed through the experiments conducted.
The references cited in the paper are appropriate and relevant to the topic. The authors have adequately contextualized their study within the broader literature on plant stress physiology, microbial interactions, and drought tolerance.
Overall, this article provides valuable insights into the potential of combining salicylic acid and Bacillus butanolivorans KJ40 to enhance plant resilience to water deficit stress. The study offers a promising strategy for improving crop performance under drought conditions, although further research is needed to optimize application methods and understand the underlying mechanisms. The methodological suggestions and additional controls could strengthen future investigations and broaden the applicability of these findings in agricultural practices.
Although the article was generally well structured and written, it should be interesting to insert a more affirmative sentence in the abstract that indicates whether in fact the hypothesis tested was accepted, i.e., whether SA together with KJ40 were effective in mitigating water stress in Napa Cabbage.
In this work there was not such a significant effect on the plants of the two factors tested for some of the analyzed variables, however this is not a problem for the merit of the work, quite the contrary, authors should be encouraged to report non-significant results. Therefore, I suggest restructuring the conclusion to make these observed results clearer. These effects with the accepted null hypothesis can also be highlighted in the title.
Author Response
Reviewer 2
The article "Synergistic Effects of Salicylic Acid and Bacillus butanolivorans KJ40 for Enhancing Napa Cabbage Resilience to Water Deficit Stress" by Kim et al. addresses a specific gap by exploring the synergistic effects of a plant hormone (SA) and a beneficial soil bacterium (KJ40) on enhancing plant tolerance to drought conditions. The findings are particularly important in the context of climate change, where water availability is becoming increasingly unpredictable and limited. The paper contributes significantly to the subject area by demonstrating that the combined application of SA and KJ40 can mitigate some of the negative impacts of water deficit stress in napa cabbage. Additionally, the study provides insights into soil microbial dynamics, showing how SA and KJ40 influence soil metabolic activity and substrate utilization patterns. This dual approach of addressing both plant physiology and soil microbiology adds a comprehensive perspective to current strategies for managing drought stress in crops. The methodology is robust, but the authors could consider several improvements, if possible, and of not for the current work point out as further possible analyses, such as incorporating molecular techniques, such as transcriptomics or proteomics, which can uncover the underlying mechanisms driving the synergistic effects.
Response : Line 485-487. The future studies including molecular techniques and other assay have included.
The main questions regarding the impact of SA and KJ40 on plant growth, stress tolerance, and soil microbial dynamics are thoroughly addressed through the experiments conducted. The references cited in the paper are appropriate and relevant to the topic. The authors have adequately contextualized their study within the broader literature on plant stress physiology, microbial interactions, and drought tolerance. Overall, this article provides valuable insights into the potential of combining salicylic acid and Bacillus butanolivorans KJ40 to enhance plant resilience to water deficit stress. The study offers a promising strategy for improving crop performance under drought conditions, although further research is needed to optimize application methods and understand the underlying mechanisms. The methodological suggestions and additional controls could strengthen future investigations and broaden the applicability of these findings in agricultural practices. Although the article was generally well structured and written, it should be interesting to insert a more affirmative sentence in the abstract that indicates whether in fact the hypothesis tested was accepted, i.e., whether SA together with KJ40 were effective in mitigating water stress in Napa Cabbage.
Response : Line 20-24, The abstract was modified clearly.
In this work there was not such a significant effect on the plants of the two factors tested for some of the analyzed variables, however this is not a problem for the merit of the work, quite the contrary, authors should be encouraged to report non-significant results. Therefore, I suggest restructuring the conclusion to make these observed results clearer. These effects with the accepted null hypothesis can also be highlighted in the title.
Response : Our results showed that some variables were not significant and these results and discussions were presented in the manuscript. Additionally, the non-significant result was added in conclusion section.
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe authors were part of the proposed suggestions. They didn't all do it. The main modification was not made, which was the statistical analysis in a factorial scheme. Despite this, the work has potential for publication.
Author Response
The authors were part of the proposed suggestions. They didn't all do it. The main modification was not made, which was the statistical analysis in a factorial scheme. Despite this, the work has potential for publication.
Response : We conducted the statistical analysis between unstressed and water deficit conditions on lines 223-225, 267-268, 277-278, 295-297, 342-344, 378-381, and 427-429, comparing the control and each treatment under each condition.
