Salicylic acid enhances the efficiency of nitrogen fixation and assimilation in Cicer arietinum plants grown under cadmium stress

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of salicylic acid (SA) on nitrogen fixation and assimilation under conditions of cadmium stress in chickpea plants. Chickpea seeds were sown in pots containing 0, 25, 50, or 100 mg of cadmium per kilogram of soil. The foliage of the 30-day-old plants was sprayed with 10−5 M SA, and the activities of nitrogenase, nitrate reductase, glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthase, and glutamate dehydrogenase were investigated. SA exposure increased the number of nodules, fresh and dry nodule masses, leghemoglobin content, and activity of the nitrogen-fixing enzyme nitrogenase compared with the control conditions. Furthermore, SA application enhanced the activities of the enzymes involved in nitrogen assimilation, in both the control and cadmium-stressed plants. The overall results indicate that SA increases the fixation and assimilation of nitrogen regardless of whether the plants are grown in the presence or absence of cadmium.