EXOGENOUSLY APPLIED SALICYLIC ACID IMPROVED GROWTH, PHOTOSYNTHETIC PIGMENTS AND OXIDATIVE STABILITY IN MUNGBEAN SEEDLINGS (VIGNA RADIATA) AT SALT STRESS

Application of salicylic acid is known to resist the adverse effect of salinity on crop species. This study was aimed to assess the effect of salicylic acid (50 nM) as a soaking agent in (Vigna radiate) mungbean (NM19-19) before and after induction of 50, 100 and 150 mM NaCl stress. The indicators of crop performance such as seedling length, fresh & dry biomass, relative water content, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, total pigments, malonaldehyde content, total protein, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, catalase and superoxidase dismutase enzymes were studied. Salt stress caused a reduction in seedling growth and also modulated physio-biochemical attributes over untreated controls and SA treated seedlings. In contrast, the soaking of seedsin SA after salt stress; physiological changes such as growth, total proteins, pigments and oxidative stability were increased and led to improve biomass as compared to the exposure of salt alone. While the application of SA prior to salt stress (SA+NaCl) showed remarkably higher mean values for studied growth parameters and antioxidant enzymes activities compared to NaCl+SA soaking treatment. Therefore, it was concluded that application of SA prior to salt stress increased the capacity of mungbean seedlings in acclimating to salt stress and thus increased growth. Therefore, application of SA is an effective method of managing ROS at high salinity and therefore can alleviate salinity stress in mungbean seedlings that might enhance food supply and conservation of saline resources.