Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass), a perennial herb from the Poaceae family, is a widely valued plant for its essential oil and medicinal properties. Plants frequently encounter abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and heavy metals, which severely limit agricultural productivity. Transcription factors, including MYB (myeloblastosis), WRKY (pronounced worky), and bHLH (basic Helix-Loop-Helix), play pivotal roles in regulating plant responses to such stressors by mediating hormonal and developmental pathways. In this study, three salt concentrations (0, 75, and 150 mM) applied to C. citratus had their morphological parameters assessed after 30 days. The results revealed significant reductions in shoot length (73.8%–63.2%), root length (80%–65%), leaf number (72%–66%), tillers (88.4%–76.9%), and both fresh weight (85.5%–73.9%) and dry biomass (80.6%–68.6%) under increasing salt stress. Molecular analysis via PCR confirmed the expression of CcMYB, CcWRKY, and CcbHLH—homologs of Zea mays transcription factors—in C. citratus. These findings demonstrate a salt-responsive genetic mechanism in C. citratus that suggests the identified genes are promising candidates for developing salt-tolerant genotypes. This could potentially pave the way for cultivating C. citratus in saline soils and contribute to enhancing stress resilience in related herbaceous crop species.
Lemongrass (C. citratus), salt stress, transcriptional factors, MYB, WRKY, bHLH
Identification of salt stress responsive genes in lemongrass (C. citratus) species and their characterization under control and salt stress conditions was successful. This molecular study can benefit the genetic improvement of the C. citratus species.