Effect of salicylic acid on growth and plant water status in sorghum genotypes under salinity stress

Manish Jangra1, S. Devi1, N. Kumar1, R. Prakash2 and Satpal3

1Department of Botany and Plant physiology
2Department of Soil Sciences
3Department of Forage Section, G&PB

CCS HAU, Hisar-125004, Haryana, India

Corresponding author: manish.jangra.330@gmail.com

Introduction
Sorghum genus is a flowering plant which belong to grass family Poaceae. One species, Sorghum bicolor L., native to Africa with many cultivated forms, now it is an
very important crop among worldwide, mainly used for grain, fibre and fodder. It is the world’s fifth most important cereal crop after rice, wheat, maize and barley. In
India sorghum crop is popularly known as “Jowar”. The largest growers of sorghum are India, America and then Nigeria. World covers 39.6 million hectare area,
producing 57.79 million tones with a productivity of 1404 Kg per hectare. India contributes 9.45% of the world’s sorghum production with 5.82 million hectare area
and 5.39 million tonnes of total production (Gite et al., 2015). Salinity affects 7% of the world’s land surface and it is one of the main limiting factor to affect the
global agricultural productivity. In India, approx. 70 lakh hectare of the cultivated land area are adversely affected by salinity and sodicity. Salt stress has toxic effects
on plants and lead to metabolic changes. Salicylic acid has been found to play a major role in the control of plant growth, development, interaction with other
organisms and in the responses to environmental stresses.

Plant Height(cm) Leaf Number

90
Material and Methods 80
10
9
Growth Parameter: 70 8
• Plant height (cm): Plant height was measured with the help of meter scale. 60 7

Height
6
• Fresh and Dry weight per plant (g): Fresh weight of plant was measured 50

Number
5
40
immediately and dry weight was measured after drying of sample in oven. 30
4

• No. of leaves per plant: Number of leaves of each plant were counted.
3
20 2
• Leaf area per plant (cm2): Leaf area was measured with the help of leaf area 10 1
0 0
meter (Model LI 3000).
Plant water Relation:
• Water potential (Ψw): Water potential of leaves were measured with the help of HJ513 HJ541 HJ513 HJ541

pressure chamber instrument (Model 3005). Reading in Bar Fresh weight/plant (g) Dry weight/plant (g)
• Osmotic potential (Ψs): Osmotic potential was determined using psychrometric 120 25

technique (Model 5199-B vapour Pressure Osmometer). Reading in mmol kg-1. 100
20

• Relative water content (%): 80

Weight (g)

Weight (g)
15
60
10
40
𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑠ℎ 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 – 𝐷𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡
𝑅𝑊𝐶 % = × 100 20 5
𝑇𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 – 𝐷𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 0 0

HJ513 HJ541 HJ513 HJ541

Results and Discussion

In control plants, value of all parameters was high/maximum as compare to 1000
Area(cm2)

treated plants. When the level of salinity increase gradually like 0, 5, 7.5 and 10 900 Osmotic Potential (-MPa)
dSm-1, according to that the value of each parameter decreases. Same results 800 1.6

700 1.4
were obtained in faba bean (Vicia faba L.) under salinity stress (Azooz et al.,
Area(cm2)

600 1.2
2011). In this research, there is two genotypes of sorghum HJ513 and HJ541. In 1
Pressure
500
each parameter higher value was shown by HJ541 as compare to HJ513 under 400 0.8
0.6
without any treatment. HJ513 show better results correspondingly after foliar 300
0.4
200
application of salicylic acid in the level of 25 and 50 mg/l. Salinity stress of both 100 0.2

genotypes plants was mitigate by the foliar application of Salicylic acid. Same 0 0

observation like mitigation effect on salt treated plants after application of

HJ513 HJ541
salicylic acid was obtained in maize (Fahad and Bano 2012). HJ513 HJ541

Water Potential (-MPa)

8 RWC(%)
Conclusion 7
120

In recent period, salinity was major environmental factor which effect the growth of 6 100

plants by reducing morpho-physiological activity in plants. So that, the present 5

Percentage(%)

80
Pressure

4
study will be on the effect of salicylic acid on growth and plant water status in 60
3
sorghum genotypes under salinity stress. So we conclude from research that, out of 2
40

two sorghum genotypes, HJ513 show better results under salt stress after 1 20

application of salicyic acid as compare to HJ541 and the reason for selecting 0 0

sorghum for this study are: being a dual crop grown for both grain and forage.
HJ513 HJ541 HJ513 HJ541

References
• Azooz, M.M., Youssef, A.M. and Ahmad, P. (2011). Evaluation of salicylic acid (SA) application on growth, osmotic solutes and antioxidant enzyme activities on broad bean seedlings grown under diluted
seawater. International journal of plant physiology and biochemistry, 3(14), 253-264.
• Fahad, S. and Bano, A., (2012). Effect of salicylic acid on physiological and biochemical characterization of maize grown in saline area. Pak J Bot, 44(4), 1433-1438.
• Gite, A.G., Kute, N.S. and Patil, V.R. (2015). Heterosis studies for yield and component traits in rabi sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Journal of Global Biosciences, 4, 3207-3219.