Exogenous Application of Salicylic Acid and Nitric Oxide on the Ionic Contents and Enzymatic Activities in NaCl-Stressed Soybean Plants

The possible protective role of exogenous SA and NO donor (sodium nitroprusside) against salt stress was examined NaCl-induced oxidative stress in Glycine max L. The results indicated that NaCl-induced ionic toxicity led to significant increase of Na uptake in root and shoot of soybean, while K and Ca uptake was decreased markedly. Application of SA, SNP and the combination of SA with SNP inhibited Na uptake, but improved K and Ca uptake. Under NaCl salinity, germination percentage (GP) was decreased significantly as compared with control plants. Moreover, the activity of lipoxygenase (LOX) was increased by NaCl, while the application of SA, NO and SA + SNP could decrease LOX activity in this condition. As well, activities of the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) were significantly decreased by 100 mM NaCl, while the application of exogenous SA and NO increased the activities of PPO and PAL. In addition, it was observed that the SA and NO have effective functions in decreasing the damages induced by NaCl salinity. The seeds of G. max cv. Union × Elf (called L17) were obtained from the Institute of Sapling and Seed in Tehran and experiments have been done in Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University. After treatment with SA, SNP and NaCl, the plants were harvested for the estimation of ionic contents and assay of enzyme activities. The results showed that SA and NO act synergistically to reduce the damaging effects of salt tress via enhancing the activity of antioxidative systems.