biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 52:792-795, 2008 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-008-0155-8

Exogenous salicylic acid alleviates NaCl toxicity and increases antioxidative enzyme activity in Lycopersicon esculentum

Y. He¹, Z. J. Zhu^1,2,*

¹ Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P.R. China

² Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang Forestry University, Lin'an, Hangzhou, P.R. China

Effects of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) on plant growth, contents of Na, K, Ca and Mg, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), glutathione reductase (GR) and catalase (CAT), and contents of ascorbate and glutathione were investigated in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) plants treated with 100 mM NaCl. NaCl treatment significantly increased H₂O₂ content and lipid peroxidation indicated by accumulation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). A foliar spray of 1 mM SA significantly decreased lipid peroxidation caused by NaCl and improved the plant growth. This alleviation of NaCl toxicity by SA was related to decreases in Na contents, increases in K and Mg contents in shoots and roots, and increases in the activities of SOD, CAT, GPX and DHAR and the contents of ascorbate and glutathione.

Keywords: ascorbate; ascorbate peroxidase; glutathione; lipid peroxidation; salt stress; superoxide dismutase

Subjects: antioxidants, antioxidant enzymes; ascorbate peroxidase; glutathione reductase; guaiacol peroxidase; lipid peroxidation; Lycopersicon esculentum; salicylic acid; salinity, salt stress; superoxide dismutase (SOD); tomato

Received: November 28, 2007; Accepted: July 21, 2008; Published: December 1, 2008  Show citation