Protective role of foliar-applied nitric oxide in Triticum aestivum under saline stress

Abstract

A study was conducted to assess whether foliar-applied nitric oxide (NO) could alleviate the adverse effects of salt stress on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Four sodium nitroprusside levels (control [water spray] and 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15 mM) were sprayed as a donor of NO on the leaves of cultivar S-24 plants grown under nonsaline and saline conditions (150 mM NaCl). Data for growth and yield, chlorophyll contents, activities of antioxidants, and concentrations of mineral nutrients were recorded. Root-medium salinity adversely affected shoot and root dry weight, shoot length, and yield attributes of the wheat plants while it enhanced the activities of antioxidants, proline accumulation, and concentrations of shoot and root Na + and Cl -. Foliar-applied NO improved growth of only nonstressed plants. Exogenously applied NO enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase [SOD], peroxidase [POD], and catalase [CAT]) and levels of soluble proteins and proline, in both stressed and nonstressed wheat plants. Overall, exogenous application of NO enhanced chlorophyll contents; activities of CAT, POD, and SOD; and levels of soluble proteins and total free proline in the salt stressed wheat plants. The exogenous application of NO had a protective role against salt-induced oxidative damage by enhancing the activities of antioxidant enzymes, thereby improving plant growth under saline stress.

Nitric Oxide Increases Pb Tolerance by Lowering Pb Uptake and Translocation as well as Phytohormonal Changes in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.)

“…NO has been suggested to be involved in defense responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. It has been reported to exert a protective effect in response to drought stress (Shehab et al 2010), osmotic stress (Tan et al 2008), salt stress (Habib et al 2013;Kausar et al 2013), chilling stress (Liu et al 2011), heat stress (Hasanuzzaman et al 2012), ultraviolet-B radiation ) and heavy metals stress (Esim & Atici 2013;Jhanji et al 2012;Kumari et al 2010;Singh et al 2009;Wang & Yang 2005). Nonetheless there is little information on the effect of NO application on lead toxicity tolerance in plants.…”

Nitric oxide reduces oxidative damage induced by water stress in sunflower plants

“…Applications of NO have been used to improve crop growth under various abiotic stresses, with contradictory results. Foliar-applied NO has been reported to enhance growth only under non-stressed conditions (Kausar et al, 2013) or under both non-stressed and salt stressed conditions (Uchida et al, 2002). This conflicting results might be related to many factors such as species, SNP concentration and duration of applications.…”

Salicylic-acid–induced recovery ability in salt-stressed Hordeum vulgare plants

“…SA-treated, salt-stressed plants had higher ability to recover and reduce the salinity effects in terms of reducing tissue Na + concentrations (Table 3). Lower plant Na + concentration has been associated with salt tolerance in barley (Gorham et al, 1994), wheat (Kausar et al, 2013), and rice (Pareek et al, 1997). Salt tolerance in crop plants is generally associated with low uptake and accumulation of Na + (Ashraf and Harris, 2004;Ashraf et al, 2010;Hameed et al, 2013), a cation that has been shown to have adverse effects on crops due to its toxic effects (Ouerghi et al, 2000).…”

“…Although K + concentrations increased in plants subjected to all salinity treatments from 14 to 42 DAS, an increase in K + concentrations was observed in plants growing in control and 3ST only from 42 to 70 DAS. Salinity stress is known to alter the ion equilibrium in plant tissues (Tadayon and Emam, 2007;Kausar et al, 2013) and resultantly, some important ions could be effectively used as important selection criteria for salt tolerance. For example, K + concentration is thought to be an index of salinity tolerance in most crop species .…”

“…Salinity in soil or irrigation water is the major limiting factor for crop growth in many regions of the world (Siddiqui et al, 2006;Ashraf et al, 2008;Kausar et al, 2013). Salt stress at any stage of crop growth can cause an irreversible loss in yield potential (Munns, 2002;Hameed et al, 2013) in many crops including barley.…”