Salinization is a significant global issue causes irreversible damage to plants by reducing osmotic potential, inhibiting seed germination, and impeding water uptake. Seed germination, a crucial step towards the seedling stage is regulated by several hormones and genes, with the balance between abscisic acid and gibberellin being the key mechanism that either promotes or inhibits this process. Additionally, mucilage, a gelatinous substance, is known to provide protection against drought, herbivory, soil adhesion, and seed sinking. However, limited information is available on the structure and thickness of seed mucilage in halophytes under different salinity conditions. In this study, the mucilage structure of the extreme halophyte Schrenkiella parvula was compared with the glycophyte Arabidopsis thaliana in response to salinity. We found differences in the expression levels of genes such as ABI5, RGL2, DOG1, ENO2, and DHAR2, which are involved in seed germination and antioxidant activity, as well as in the mucilage structure of seeds of S. parvula and A. thaliana seeds at different salt concentrations. The responses of seed germination of S. parvula to salinity indicate that it is more salt-tolerant than A. thaliana. Additionally, it was found that S. parvula mucilage decreased under salt conditions but not under mannitol conditions, whereas in A. thaliana mucilage did not change under both conditions, which is one of the adaptation strategies of S. parvula to salt conditions. We believe that these fundamental analyzes will provide a foundation for future molecular and biochemical studies comparing the responses of crops and halophytes to salinity stress.

The interface between plants' roots and soil is strongly affected by rhizodeposits, especially mucilage, that change mechanical and hydrological behaviour. In addition to impacts to aggregation, water capture and root penetration, rhizodeposits may also affect the pull-out resistance of plant roots. Due to the complex architecture of plant roots and an inability to restrict rhizodeposit production, this study used a simplified system of wooden skewers to simulate roots and chia seed mucilage as a model to simulate rhizodeposit compounds. Pull-out tests were then carried out to measure the impacts of mucilage, and one (WD1) or two (WD2) cycles of wetting and drying of soils. Using a mechanical test frame, the maximum pull-out resistance (Fmax) and pull-out displacement (dL) were recorded, allowing for pull-out energy (E), average pull-out force (F over bar $$ \overline{F} $$) and bond strength (tau max) to be calculated. The results showed that all pull-out parameters of the samples with added rhizodeposit compounds tended to decrease between WD1 and WD2, but they were still significantly greater than without the added mucilage. The model rhizodeposit increased all pull-out parameters by a minimum of 30%. With an additional wet-dry cycle, the mucilage tended to cause a decline in pull-out parameters relative to a single wet-dry cycle. This suggests mucilages could enhance the mechanical resistance of roots to pull-out, but resistance decreases over time with cycles of wetting and drying. To conclude, an important role of mucilage is pull-out resistance, which has relevance to plant anchorage and root reinforcement of soils.