| Summary: | Salt stress severely limits soybean production worldwide. Calcineurin B-like protein-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) play a pivotal role in a plant’s adaption to salt stress. However, their biological roles in soybean adaption to salt stress remain poorly understood. Here, the <i>GmCIPK2</i> expression was increased by NaCl and hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>). <i>GmCIPK2</i>-overexpression <i>Arabidopsis</i> and soybean hairy roots displayed improved salt tolerance, whereas the RNA interference of hairy roots exhibited enhanced salt sensitivity. Further analyses demonstrated that, upon salt stress, <i>GmCIPK2</i> enhanced the proline content and antioxidant enzyme activity and decreased the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> content, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and Na<sup>+</sup>/K<sup>+</sup> ratios in soybean. Moreover, <i>GmCIPK2</i> promoted the expression of salt- and antioxidant-related genes in response to salt stress. Moreover, the GmCIPK2-interacting sensor, GmCBL4, increased the salt tolerance of soybean hairy roots. Overall, these results suggest that <i>GmCIPK2</i> functions positively in soybean adaption to salt stress.
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