Overexpression of the Arabidopsis SRRM1L gene increases soybean saline–alkali tolerance without yield penalty

Saline–alkali stress is becoming a major global issue due to environmental degradation, hindering plant growth and reducing both seed yield and quality of many crops, including soybean. Improving stress tolerance through genetic resources is crucial for sustainable production. In this study, overexpression of the Arabidopsis SRRM1L gene increased soybean (Glycine max) tolerance to saline–alkali stress by reducing reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde accumulation and promoting antioxidant enzyme activities, whereas knockdown of GmSRRM1L1/2 genes reduced stress resistance and overexpression of GmSRRM1L1/2 increased it. These findings highlight that the AtSRRM1L and GmSRRM1L proteins are valuable genetic resources for breeding stress-resistant cultivars without yield penalty.