How does alfalfa survive saline stress? Experts from INTA analyzed "from within" the response of

Due to its high nutritional quality, its contribution to the soil as a nitrogen fixer, and its ability to withstand hostile environments, alfalfa is considered a key crop for maintaining livestock productivity, in a context of soil degradation and climate change. But how does this legume adapt to all these changes? This was the question posed by the Metabolic Stress team of INTA-Conicet -Córdoba-, in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute of Germany, which focused their observations on the plant's response to saline soils. The research centered on the analysis of a key regulatory protein in plant metabolism, known as SnRK1, which is activated in waves at the first signs of saline stress. "This wave-like activation allows the plant to reorganize its metabolism to face the environmental change," explained Marianela Rodríguez, a specialist at INTA and leader of the research group. Along with this process, the team detected an imbalance in the plant's sugar control system: the ...