Seed Priming and Foliar Application with Ascorbic Acid and Salicylic Acid Mitigate Salt Stress in Wheat

Abstract

Ascorbic acid (AA) and salicylic acid (SA) are naturally active antioxidants that protect against plant stresses, including salinity. We studied the physiological response of wheat to AA and SA (100, 200 ppm) as well as the combined treatment of AA and SA (100 ppm) through application as both priming and foliar spray treatments under saline conditions. The results showed that wheat plants under salt-affected soils exhibited numerous physiological effects in plant metabolism, which subsequently affected the qualitative and quantitative parameters of growth and yield. Moreover, the photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant content, and yield are significantly enhanced under the combined treatment of AA and SA. In contrast, the application of AA and SA lowered the osmolytes and lipid peroxidation content under saline conditions. Accordingly, the enhancement of the mentioned parameter was related to the scavenging of the reactive oxygen species and decreasing the oxidative stress on the plant under the salinity stress. Our results explore the significance of applied AA and SA as efficacious compounds in wheat farming under saline conditions. The combined application of (100 ppm) AA with (100 ppm) SA using priming or a foliar spray can be a promising treatment for beneficent wheat growth and productivity improvement under salt-affected soil conditions.