Bio-regulators: Silicon, Salicylic Acid, Ascorbic Acid Improve Salt Tolerance in Cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.)

Abstract

Soil salinity is currently considered as a major environmental problem. This issue is accentuated by climate change, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. In these areas, drought and high level of salt in soils and irrigated waters are the main abiotic factors limiting plant growth and productivity. On the other hand, rapid population growth and reduction of arable land are major factors that could affect food security. Regarding salt tolerance, most crop plants show sensitivity to high salt levels, but it differs strongly between species and slightly between cultivars within the same species. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is an important economic crop and is sensitive to salinity. To enhance cucumber performance and resistance to high levels of NaCl, different strategies can be employed, In recent decades, an increased research interest has been devoted to develop new strategies to overcome the deleterious effects of salinity on cucumber plants by using molecular markers and genetic transformation as tools to generate salinity-tolerant genotypes together with the implementation of some cultural techniques. Among the other strategies currently being used is the exogenous application of biostimulants and bioregulators. In this regard, and in order to improve salt tolerance of cucumber plants, we have discussed here the effect of foliar application of bio-regulators such as silicon, salicylic acid, and ascorbic acid on plant metabolism and yield.