Abstract
Soil salinity threatens agricultural production worldwide by constraining plant growth and final crop yield. The early stages are most sensitive to salinity, in response to which salicylic acid (SA) has demonstrated beneficial effects in various plant species. Based on this, a maize (Zea mays L.) pot experiment was set up combining three levels of soil salinity (0, 6 and 12 dS m–1), obtained through NaCl addition, with three levels of SA (0, 300 and 600 mM), applied by leaf spraying 20 days after seedling emergence. Fifteen days later, the following traits were assessed: morphology (plant height, leaf number), growth (root and shoot dry weight), leaf water status [relative water content (RWC), electrolyte leakage (EL)], pigments (chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, anthocyanin), antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, vitamin C), oxidative stress markers (H2O2, malondialdehyde), osmo-regulating compounds (free amino acids, soluble proteins and sugars, proline), hormones [indole-3-acetic acid, gibberellic acid (GA), abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene], element (Na, K, Ca, Mg and Cl) concentration and content in roots, stem and leaves. Salinity severely affected maize growth (–26% total dry weight), impaired leaf water status (–31% RWC), reduced photosynthetic pigments, enhanced all antioxidant enzymes and oxidative stress markers, two osmo-regulating compounds (soluble sugars and proline) out of four, and all hormones except GA. SA was shown effective in containing most of the stress effects, while supporting plant defences by upgrading antioxidant activities (reduced oxidative stress markers), increasing cell membrane stability (–24% EL) and leaf water status (+20% RWC), and reducing plant stress signalling (–10% ABA and -20% ethylene). Above all, SA contrasted the massive entry of noxious ions (Na+ and Cl–), in favour of K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ accumulation. Lastly, salicylic acid was shown beneficial for maize growth and physiology also under non-saline condition, suggesting a potential use in normal field conditions. Highlights - Foliar applied salicylic acid alleviated salinity effects on maize growth at early plant stage. - Salicylic acid improved leaf water status, chlorophyll content, and strengthened anti-oxidant enzymes under salinity. - Salicylic acid reduced oxidative stress markers while enhancing osmo-regulating and hormonal responses to salinity. - Salicylic acid hampered Na and Cl entry and translocation to above ground organs, preserving leaf cell membrane integrity. - Salicylic acid was shown beneficial for maize growth and physiology also under non-saline conditions.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity severely affected maize growth, lowering total dry weight by 26%.
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salinity severely affected maize growth (–26% total dry weight)”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity impaired maize leaf water status, lowering relative water content by 31%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salinity severely affected maize growth (–26% total dry weight), impaired leaf water status (–31% RWC)”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity reduced photosynthetic pigments in maize.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salinity severely affected maize growth”
e1“reduced photosynthetic pigments”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity enhanced all antioxidant enzymes and oxidative stress markers in maize.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salinity severely affected maize growth”
e1“enhanced all antioxidant enzymes and oxidative stress markers”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity enhanced two of four osmo-regulating compounds in maize, soluble sugars and proline.
- Treatment
- Salinitye0
- Outcome
- osmo-regulating compounds (soluble sugars and proline)e1
- Direction
- enhancede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salinity severely affected maize growth”
e1“enhanced all antioxidant enzymes and oxidative stress markers, two osmo-regulating compounds (soluble sugars and proline) out of four”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity raised all hormones except GA in maize.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salinity severely affected maize growth”
e1“and all hormones except GA”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salicylic acid was effective in containing most of the salinity stress effects in maize.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“SA was shown effective in containing most of the stress effects”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salicylic acid upgraded antioxidant activities in maize under salinity.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“SA was shown effective in containing most of the stress effects, while supporting plant defences by upgrading antioxidant activities”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salicylic acid increased cell membrane stability in maize, with electrolyte leakage lowered by 24%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“SA was shown effective in containing most of the stress effects”
e1“increasing cell membrane stability (–24% EL)”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salicylic acid increased maize leaf water status, with relative water content up by 20%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“SA was shown effective in containing most of the stress effects”
e1“increasing cell membrane stability (–24% EL) and leaf water status (+20% RWC)”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salicylic acid reduced abscisic acid (ABA) by 10% as a measure of plant stress signalling in maize.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“SA was shown effective in containing most of the stress effects”
e1“reducing plant stress signalling (–10% ABA and -20% ethylene)”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salicylic acid reduced ethylene by 20% as a measure of plant stress signalling in maize.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“SA was shown effective in containing most of the stress effects”
e1“reducing plant stress signalling (–10% ABA and -20% ethylene)”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salicylic acid counteracted the massive entry of Na+ and Cl- ions in maize.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“SA contrasted the massive entry of noxious ions (Na+ and Cl–)”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salicylic acid favoured accumulation of K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ in maize.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“SA contrasted the massive entry of noxious ions (Na+ and Cl–), in favour of K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ accumulation”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Salicylic acid was beneficial for maize growth and physiology also under non-saline condition.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“salicylic acid was shown beneficial for maize growth and physiology also under non-saline condition”
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See all 42 papers →8 of 10 groups shown: named compounds and organisms first, then groups whose results differ (checked claim by claim), then those with positive and negative results, then the smaller groups.
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.