Dr. Insilico Dissection of Putative Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Salinity Adaptation in Elite Lentil Germplasm

Salinity is a major constraint to lentil production in salt-affected agroecosystems. Phenotypic screening can identify stress-resilient germplasm, but linking contrasting field performance with putative molecular mechanisms is important for utilizing tolerant donors in breeding. The present study developed an Insilico framework to characterize putative molecular mechanisms associated with salinity adaptation in tolerant and sensitive lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) accessions identified from a field-screening programme. A total of 500 lentil genotypes were evaluated under control, saline (ECe ~7 dS m⁻¹) and alkaline (pH ~9.3) field environments. Five tolerant accessions (IC267104, IC248956, IC268241, IC267657 and IC268240) and five sensitive accessions (IC269152, IC270865, IC271245, IC268956 and IC262657) were selected for molecular interpretation. Candidate genes involved in ion homeostasis, osmotic adjustment, reactive oxygen species detoxification, stress signalling and transcriptional regulation were examined using transcriptomic profiling, SNP/InDel analysis, promoter cis-element analysis, protein structural modelling and GO/KEGG enrichment. Tolerant accessions showed stronger predicted expression of NHX1, HKT1;5, SOS1, DREB2A, RD29A, P5CS1, BADH, LEA14 and CBF1. Putatively functional nonsynonymous variants were identified in NHX1, HKT1;5, SOS1, P5CS1 and DREB2A. Promoter analysis indicated greater representation of ABRE, DRE/CRT, MYB, MYC, W-box, LTR and STRE motifs in tolerant accessions, while protein modelling suggested greater structural stability. Functional enrichment highlighted ion transport, Na⁺/K⁺ homeostasis, ABA/MAPK signalling, osmoprotectant biosynthesis, antioxidant metabolism, membrane transport and ROS detoxification. These findings support a putative multi-component model of salinity adaptation involving ion homeostasis, osmotic protection and stress-responsive regulation. As the molecular analyses are computational, the identified associations should be considered hypotheses requiring independent experimental validation.