“…Being a vital signaling molecule, fluctuation in the production of SA affects various physiological processes such as photosynthesis, accumulation of antioxidant enzymes, proline metabolism, thereby sustaining plant growth and development under abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity [ 15 , 27 , 28 ]. Studies have demonstrated that SA supplementation also enhances the photosynthetic activity, chlorophyll content, leaf water potential, membrane stability index, activities of antioxidant enzymes like SOD, POD, CAT, and APX, and reduces the electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation under water stress conditions [ 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Therefore, the application of SA has been considered a short-term solution to reduce the negative effects of water stress in plants [ 15 , 30 , 31 ], however, the accurate mode of SA action remains unclear, particularly in tree species [ 32 , 33 ].…”