Fruit orchards are frequently irrigated with brackish water. Irrigation with poor quality water is also a major cause of salt accumulation in soil. An excess of salts results in stunted growth, poor yield, inferior quality and low nutritional properties. Melatonin is a low molecular weight protein that shows multifunctional, regulatory and pleiotropic behavior in the plant kingdom. Recently, its discovery brought a great revolution in sustainable fruit production under salinity-induced environments. Melatonin contributed to enhanced tolerance in Zizyphus fruit species by improving the plant defense system’s potential to cope with the adverse effects of salinity. The supplemental application of melatonin has improved the generation of antioxidant assays and osmolytes involved in the scavenging of toxic ROS. The tolerance level of the germplasm is chiefly based on the activation of the defense system against the adverse effects of salinity. The current study explored the contribution of melatonin against salinity stress and provides information regarding which biochemical mechanism can be effective and utilized for the development of salt-tolerant germplasm in Zizyphus.
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) production is low because of different environmental stresses. Salt stress significantly reduces lettuce growth and yield. Foliar application of ascorbic acid is considered as a possible way to mitigate the adverse salinity effects on plants. This current study investigated the effect of foliar spray of ascorbic acid (control, 100, 200, 300 and 400 mg/L) to mitigate negative effects of salinity (0, 50, 100 and 150 mM NaCl) in lettuce plants in 2019 and 2020. Salinity level of 200 mM NaCl significantly reduced growth and yield traits; i.e. leaf length and diameter, number of leaves, fresh plant weight, number of roots, root length and root dry weight and these traits increased under foliar application of ascorbic acid concentration of 400 mg/L. Two salinity levels (150 and 200 mM NaCl) × 400 mg/L ascorbic acid enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) content in lettuce plants. Peroxidase (POD) content increased in 200 mM NaCl and 400 mg/L ascorbic acid. Catalase (CAT) content increased in 100, 150 and 200 mM NaCl and 400 mg/L ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid was significantly greater in 200 mM NaCl and 400 mg/L ascorbic acid. Phenolic content was the maximum in 200 mM NaCl and 300 mg/L and 400 mg/L ascorbic acid. Titratable acidity was higher in 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM NaCl and control of ascorbic acid. We conclude that ascorbic acid had potential to mitigate the adverse effects of salinity by reducing oxidative injury in agricultural crops especially lettuce.
Onion is one of the most valuable vegetables all over the world. It prefers loose, well drained loamy soils rich in organic matter. In calcareous soils, the growth and yield of onion crop is low. The objective of the present investigation was to study the performance of two onion cultivars (Super Selection and Nasarpuri) in calcareous soil by adopting proper planting system. The crop was planted under two planting systems i.e. flat bed and ridge system. Significantly higher leaf weight was recorded on ridges than flat beds. Root weight was significantly higher in cultivar Nasarpuri than Super Selection. Moreover, plants on ridges attained more root weight than those grown on flat beds. Larger equatorial and polar diameters of bulbs were recorded in Super Selection, and also in the plants grown on ridges. The bulbs harvested from ridges had higher moisture content, than those harvested from flat beds. The neck diameter was significantly greater in Nasarpuri as compared with Super Selection. Number of splited bulbs and number of splits in bulbs were not affected by the cultivars and planting systems. The highest bulb weight was recorded from ridges in cv. Nasarpuri, followed by Super Selection. The significantly greater economic yield, biological yield and harvest index were obtained from the plants grown on ridges. Leaf weight showed significant association with neck diameter, bulb weight, economic yield and biological yield. Bulb weight showed significant correlation with economic yield, biological yield and harvest index.
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