The study examined early metabolic responses to salt stress in a salt‑tolerant alfalfa cultivar, focusing on SnRK1 activity, sucrose, and trehalose‑6‑phosphate dynamics during leaf expansion. Hydroponically grown plants exposed to 200 mM NaCl showed rapid, wave‑like SnRK1 activation within 1 hour, a transient decline in chloroplast performance, and an uncoupling of the Tre6P‑sucrose regulatory link, with a second SnRK1 peak correlating with reduced leaf growth. Exogenous sucrose inhibited SnRK1 activity, highlighting early SnRK1 activation as a pivotal component of salt stress adaptation.

Using hydathode-focused inoculation, the study mapped a major QTL on Arabidopsis chromosome 5 and identified the CNL-type immune receptor SUT1 as a novel resistance gene that restricts early colonization of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris in hydathodes. Functional analyses showed SUT1 acts independently of the known RKS1/ZAR1 complex and provides tissue‑specific resistance, being effective primarily in hydathodes but not in xylem.

A biparental Vicia faba mapping population was screened under glasshouse conditions for resistance to a mixture of Fusarium avenaceum and Fusarium oxysporum, revealing several families with moderate to high resistance. Using the Vfaba_v2 Axiom SNP array, a high-density linkage map of 6,755 SNPs was constructed, enabling the identification of a major QTL on linkage group 4 associated with partial resistance to foot and root rot.