Plant, Algae, and Environment

Plant, Algae, and Environment

Exogenous Salicylic Acid Reverses Water Splitting and Electron Transport Activity of Leaves and Triggers the Transition to Flowering in Phlomis tuberosa Under Salt Stress

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
To investigate the protective role of salicylic acid (SA) in alleviating salt-induced damage in Phlomis tuberosa plants. Fifty-day-old seedlings were exposed to salt stress by irrigating 40 mM sodium chloride solution. Salt stress significantly inhibited plant growth by diminishing shoot and root dry weights, plant height, and relative water content (RWC). This growth inhibition was primarily associated with excessive Na+ accumulation in plant shoots. However, root-application of SA at 0.1 mM mitigated the toxic effects of salt-induced damage by inhibiting Na+ translocation to leaves, resulting in significant improvements in growth-related attributes, including dry mass. Salt stress markedly affected the chlorophyll a fluorescence transient (OJIP) curve, as indicated by an increase in the O-J phase coupled with reduced maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) and oxygen-evolving complex efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fo). Conversely, SA supplementation reversed these effects by improving JIP-test parameters, water- splitting acitivity, and electron transport within PSII. Furthermore, pretreatment with salicylic acid under salt stress conditions markedly enhanced the activities of antioxidative enzymes compared with those in the salinity alone treatment. Notably, SA enhanced flowering in P. tuberosa regardless of stress, and the positive correlation between nitric oxide (NO) levels and flower number suggested a role for NO in salicylic acid‑mediated floral transition. Overall, by enhancing carotenoids levels, reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, preserving thylakoid membrane integrity, improving the balance and functionality between PSI and PSII and optimizing energy fluxes; SA alleviated the detrimental effects of salt stress on photosynthesis and mitigated stress-induced damage.
Keywords

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