Abstract
Soil salinization adversely affects agricultural productivity. Mitigating the adverse effects of salinity represents a current major challenge for agricultural researchers worldwide. The effects of exogenously applied glycine betaine (GB) and salicylic acid (SA) on mitigating sodium toxicity and improving the growth of cotton seedlings subjected to salt stress remain unclear. The treatments in a phytotron included a control (CK, exogenously untreated, non-saline), two NaCl conditions (0 and 150 mM), four exogenous GB concentrations (0, 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 mM), and four exogenous SA concentrations (0, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mM). The shoot and roots exposed to 150 mM NaCl without supplementation had significantly higher Na+ and reduced K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ contents, along with lowered biomass, compared with those of CK. Under NaCl stress, exogenous GB and SA at all concentrations substantially inversed these trends by improving ion uptake regulation and biomass accumulation compared with NaCl stress alone. Supplementation with 5.0 mM GB and with 1.0 mM SA under NaCl stress were the most effective conditions for mitigating Na+ toxicity and enhancing biomass accumulation. NaCl stress had a negative effect on plant growth parameters, including plant height, leaf area, leaf water potential, and total nitrogen (N) in the shoot and roots, which were improved by supplementation with 5.0 mM GB or 1.0 mM SA. Supplementation with 5.0 mM exogenous GB was more effective in controlling the percentage loss of conductivity (PLC) under NaCl stress.
Highlights
The main goal of our study was to investigate the protective effects of exogenously sprayed glycine betaine (GB) and salicylic acid (SA) on cotton seedlings grown under a high-salinity regime (150 mM NaCl) by monitoring and analyzing the response of growth and biomass accumulation, percentage loss conductivity (PLC), and ion (Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ )
The current study showed that exogenous foliar supplementation with GB or SA is a suitable approach for maintaining growth in cotton seedlings under NaCl stress
We found exogenous foliar-applied GB significantly enhanced the endogenous accumulation of GB but had a non-significant effect on the accumulation of endogenous SA compared with changes under NaCl stress without supplementation
Summary
Soil salinization is an increasing problem in agriculture, affecting an area of ~800 million ha that accounts for more than 7% of the total land area worldwide [1]. Salt accumulation in the soil is often caused by irrigation with water containing sodium chloride (NaCl) [2]. NaCl-associated salinity has recently become a focus in abiotic stress research on non-halophytic plants. NaCl stress-related effects, such as ion toxicity and low water potential, lead to numerous changes in plant metabolism [3]
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