Exogenous Glycine Betaine Alleviates Dynamic Physiological and Transcriptomic Responses in Inula salsoloides under Combined salt-cadmium Stress

This experiment was conducted from May to August 2025 at the Forestry College, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University. Seeds of Inula salsoloides were collected from wild populations in Wuhai City, Inner Mongolia in July 2024. Each treatment consisted of 500 seeds with three biological replicates. Seeds were sown in round plastic trays and watered via bottom trays every two days to maintain soil moisture. Germination was monitored daily for 42 days, with the experiment terminating after seven consecutive days without new germination. At the seedling stage, plants were foliar-sprayed with corresponding treatment solutions every three days.