Contrasting responses of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) accessions to combined water and nutrient stress: integrated morphological, biochemical, and molecular analyses.

Radhouane, a Tunisian alfalfa accession, exhibits 250% higher phenolic content and 86% greater antioxidant capacity than Kettana 1 under combined water and nutrient stress.

• Why it matters: Understanding genetic variation in stress responses is crucial for improving alfalfa productivity amid increasing environmental challenges.
• What they did: Researchers evaluated 14 Tunisian accessions, focusing on Radhouane and Kettana 1, through morphological, biochemical, and molecular analyses, including gene expression and biochemical assays.
• The result: Radhouane's tolerance is linked to enhanced root biomass, water content, antioxidant defenses, and upregulation of stress-related genes like glutathione synthetase (~220%) and aquaporin PIP2-1 (~188%), enabling better stress resilience.