Abstract
Soil and water salinities have become a major problem for agricultural activities as they can negatively affect crop yield in different ways. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and sodium silicate (Si) on the content of selected mineral elements in the leaves of tomato plants (<em>Solanum lycopersicum</em> L.) under salinity stress. A fully randomized block experimental design was used with three factors, including three levels of salinity (0, 4, and 6 dS m<sup>−1</sup>), Si (0, 4, and 8 mM), and MeJA (0, 5, and 7.5 µM). Main plots were allocated to the three levels of salinity and the subplots were devoted to MeJA and Si levels. An increase in MeJA concentration was related to an 8.5% increase in leaf P content. When MeJA was applied at high salinity levels, the Na, Ca, and Mn concentrations decreased, but Fe increased. The application of 8 mM Si reduced the concentration of Cl by 50% at a salinity level of 4 dS m<sup>−1</sup> in plants not treated with MeJA. The triple interaction of the factors was significant for K, Mg, and Cl (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01). Furthermore, the treatments used did induce significant differences in leaf Zn and N concentrations. The results indicate that MeJA and Si can partially mitigate the adverse impacts of salinity stress and contribute to an increased uptake of nutrients under saline conditions.
Highlights
Soil and water salinity are the main obstacle and limiting factors for agriculture development in many countries around the world
The results revealed that the double interactions between methyl jasmonate (MeJA) with salinity were significant for Ca, Na, Fe, Cu, and Mn concentrations (p < 0.01)
Our findings have shown that Si treatment improved salt tolerance in the tomato plants tested
Summary
Soil and water salinity are the main obstacle and limiting factors for agriculture development in many countries around the world. 33 M ha of all agricultural lands (55%) in Iran are influenced by soil and water salinity [1]. Salinity is a major environmental stress that adversely affects plant metabolism and growth [2,3]. Salinity affects plant physiological functions through changes in the water balance and ionic status in cells [5]. High levels of Na cause direct damage to plant cell membranes, disrupt cell metabolism, and impair plant growth, fertility, and free radical generation [7]. Plants that are exposed to salinity stress should be able to optimally maintain K and Na at high and low levels, respectively [8].
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