Acoustic priming enhances salt tolerance in Arabidopsis by modulating morphological, physiological, and biochemical responses

Salinity stress is a major problem in agriculture, affecting both food security and environmental sustainability. This study investigates the role of acoustic or sound vibration (SV) priming in Arabidopsis thaliana for mitigating salinity stress. First, we studied the effect of SV (500 Hz, 100 dB) on Arabidopsis root development. SV treatment changes root morphology, characterized by reduced primary root length and increased lateral root density (LRD), without affecting the above-ground parts. SV-primed plants alter auxin dynamics, which are important regulators of root architecture. SV priming enhanced Arabidopsis seed germination rates, while NaCl treatment led significant reduction which showed SV can improve salinity tolerance. SV-primed plants exhibited higher survival rates under salinity stress compared to non-primed Arabidopsis plants. Physiological studies revealed that SV priming improved relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll, and total carotenoid levels under saline conditions. Conversely, SV-treated plants accumulated less anthocyanin and stress-responsive flavonoid pigments, which delayed leaf senescence. Hormonal analysis showed that abscisic acid (ABA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels were significantly altered in SV-primed plants under salinity stress. Notably, SV treatment reduces salt-induced root growth inhibition and promotes adventitious root formation. In conclusion, these findings highlight SV priming as a non-invasive approach for improving salinity tolerance by modulating morphological, physiological, and biochemical responses. Future research is required to dissect the molecular mechanism of acoustic priming in Arabidopsis such as SV perception and subsequent molecular reprogramming so that it can be applied to other crop species and agronomic domains for improving growth and adaptive traits.