Abstract
ABSTRACTSalinity stress is limiting growth and productivity of plants in many areas of the world. Plants adopted different strategies to minimize the effect of salt stress. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the morphological and physiological changes produced in Canola (Brassica napus) by exogenous application of ellagic acid (EA) under saline conditions. EA is an antioxidant, expected to reduce the effect of salinity stress. The seeds of two canola cultivars, Rainbow and Oscar, were soaked for 6 h with different concentrations of EA (0, 55 and 110 µg/ml). The soaked seeds were sown in small pots. Salt stress was imposed on the plants by applying NaCl solutions of different concentrations (0, 60 and 120 mM) and the duration of stress was for four weeks. Salinity stress reduced seed germination and disturbed the morphological and physiological attributes of B. napus. Application of EA as seed soaking reduced the effect of salinity and enhanced the growth of plants. Overall, we could confirm a significant role of EA by inducing salinity tolerance in B. napus.
Highlights
Salinity is the accumulation of excessive concentrations of soluble salts that reduce the growth of plants by osmotic stress (Mittal et al 2015)
Root length was generally variable in all salt treatments and little influenced by the addition of ellagic acid (EA) in both canola varieties (Figure 1(b))
Salt affects the growth of crop plants by reducing the uptake of water by roots (Sakina et al 2016).The most critical phases of plant life are seed germination and growth of seedlings and these are adversely affected by various environmental changes especially salt stress (El-Soud et al 2013)
Summary
Salinity is the accumulation of excessive concentrations of soluble salts that reduce the growth of plants by osmotic stress (Mittal et al 2015). Salt stress is a complex matter resulting in a combination of osmotic and ion toxic effects as well as oxidative stress in plants (Nounjan et al 2012; Porcel et al 2012).Under stress condition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced in living organisms and become the causative agents to damage important biomolecules (Weidinger and Andrey 2015). These amounts of intracellular oxidants are kept in balance by endogenous antioxidants (Poljsak et al 2013). Antioxidants can inhibit, prevent or delay the oxidation of biological compounds and scavenge free radicals thereby minimize oxidative stress (Sepúlveda et al 2011)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
