Alleviation of salt stress in Glycyrrhiza uralensis by lanthanum nitrate: a predictive modeling approach

Seedling growth of <i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> is severely inhibited by salt stress, limiting its cultivation in saline-alkali soils. This study aimed to evaluate the mitigative effects of lanthanum nitrate (La(NO₃)₃) and develop a predictive model for the salt stress response. The results showed that the photosynthesis, anti-oxidative stress, growth and relative content of pharmacological active components of <i>G.uralensis</i> were significantly inhibited under salt stress. Under 0.75 mM exogenous La(NO₃)₃ treatment, licorice under salt stress showed photosynthetic compensation recovery, activation of antioxidant defense, synergistic improvement of biomass and medicinal quality. At the same time, this study innovatively constructs the NRBO-LSSVM-ABKDE coupling prediction model, and its prediction accuracy is significantly better than the traditional algorithm, and the mitigation effect of La(NO₃)₃ on <i>G.uralensis</i> was successfully verified. These findings not only confirm the efficacy of La(NO₃)₃ in alleviating salt stress in <i>G. uralensis</i> but also provide a powerful predictive tool for assessing plant stress responses, offering a new strategy for sustainable agriculture in salt-affected areas.