Calcium Lignosulfonate Can Mitigate the Impact of Salt Stress on Growth, Physiological, and Yield Characteristics of Two Barley Cultivars (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Abstract

The current study was conducted in a pot experiment with sand bed soil for two winter seasons (2019/20, 2020/21) to illuminate the impact of calcium lignosulfonate (Ca-LIGN) (100 mg/L) in alleviating various levels of NaCl (0, 100, 200, and 300 mM) on two barley cultivars, Giza132 and Giza133. Giza133 outgrew Giza132 under salinity stress by accumulating less Na+ content and retaining more K+ content. Surprisingly, Ca-LIGN was shown to be involved in both cultivars’ capacity to efflux Na+ in return for greater K+ influx under 100 and 200 mM NaCl, resulting in an increased dry weight of shoots and roots as well as leaf area compared with the untreated salinity levels. Physiological parameters were measured as relative water content (RWC), electrolyte leakage rate (ELR), peroxidase activity (POD) in leaf and root and grain yield, and grain protein content were evaluated. Adding Ca-LIGN ameliorated both cultivars’ growth in all the recorded characteristics. Under salinity stress, Ca-LIGN induced a higher RWC in both cultivars compared to those without Ca-LIGN. Although the ELR increased significantly in Giza132 leaves under the different NaCl concentrations compared to in Giza133 leaves, applying Ca-LIGN for both cultivars reduced the deterioration in their leaf and root by significantly lowering the ELR. As a result, applying Ca-LIGN to the salinity-affected plants (Giza133 and Giza132) under (100 and 200 mM NaCl), respectively, inhibited POD activity by about (10-fold, 6-fold, and 3-fold, 5-fold). The impact of Ca-LIGN on grain yield was more effective in Giza133 than in Giza132, with (61.46, 35.04, 29.21% and 46.02, 24.16, 21.96%) at various salinity levels. Moreover, while both cultivars recorded similar protein content under normal conditions, adding Ca-LIGN increased protein accumulation by raising salinity concentration until it reached 3% and 2% increases in both cultivars, Giza133 and Giza132, respectively, under 300 mM NaCl. It can be concluded that applying Ca-LIGN on barley can help to alleviate the ionic stress by excluding the harmful ions, resulting in higher grain yield and protein content.

Physiological and Biochemical Changes in Vegetable and Field Crops under Drought, Salinity and Weeds Stresses: Control Strategies and Management

“…The function of proline as an osmolyte is essential for protecting plant cells against the increase in ROS production under stress. The accumulation of proline was increased in barley and faba bean plants under drought [13,15] and in sweet pepper, calendula, lettuce, faba bean, wheat, and barley plants under salinity stress [4,8,105,147].…”

Mitigating Salinity Stress in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) through Biochar and NPK Fertilizers: Impacts on Physio-Biochemical Behavior and Grain Yield

“…Compared to wheat, maize, and rice, barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a more salt-tolerant plant; however, salt in the soil negatively affects the number of barley plantlets and their productivity [8][9][10]. To reduce the yield losses caused by soil salinity, the solutions often mentioned could be to use salt-resistant genotypes and/or to mitigate soil treatments in salt-affected croplands.…”

“…In addition, the use of biochar has helped to improve the growth, biomass, and photosynthesis of plants, including barley, in salt-affected soils [5,11,21,22]. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that biochar application in saline soils can help crops tolerate adverse conditions by improving their nutrient uptake and accumulation [8][9][10]. Biochar is a good practice to reduce the harmful effects of salt because its application reduces toxic Na + and K + uptake and concentration in plants [8][9][10].…”

“…Moreover, it has been demonstrated that biochar application in saline soils can help crops tolerate adverse conditions by improving their nutrient uptake and accumulation [8][9][10]. Biochar is a good practice to reduce the harmful effects of salt because its application reduces toxic Na + and K + uptake and concentration in plants [8][9][10]. In addition, biochar can improve the gas exchange of plants under drought and salt stress [5,23,24].…”

Exogenous serotonin improves drought and salt tolerance in tomato seedlings

“…Salt accumulation in rhizosphere is causing another worldwide agricultural yield limiting stress, again linked to intensive use of ground water for irrigation in addition to natural causes. Both drought and salt stresses can reduce and even completely hinder yields depending on the duration and severity, challenging the world food safety (AlKahtani et al 2021; Elsawy et al 2022). Common aspects of these two stresses on plants are stomatal closure followed by the reduction in photosynthetic e ciency, known as osmotic stress and accumulation of reactive oxygen species known as oxidative stress.…”