Abstract
Maize (Zea mays L.) is a salt-sensitive plant that experiences stunted growth and development during early seedling stages under salt stress. Salicylic acid (SA) is a major growth hormone that has been observed to induce resistance in plants against different abiotic stresses. Furthermore, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have shown considerable potential in conferring salinity tolerance to crops via facilitating growth promotion, yield improvement, and regulation of various physiological processes. In this regard, combined application of PGPR and SA can have wide applicability in supporting plant growth under salt stress. We investigated the impact of salinity on the growth and yield attributes of maize and explored the combined role of PGPR and SA in mitigating the effect of salt stress. Three different levels of salinity were developed (original, 4 and 8 dS m−1) in pots using NaCl. Maize seeds were inoculated with salt-tolerant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain, whereas foliar application of SA was given at the three-leaf stage. We observed that salinity stress adversely affected maize growth, yield, and physiological attributes compared to the control. However, both individual and combined applications of PGPR and SA alleviated the negative effects of salinity and improved all the measured plant attributes. The response of PGPR + SA was significant in enhancing the shoot and root dry weights (41 and 56%), relative water contents (32%), chlorophyll a and b contents (25 and 27%), and grain yield (41%) of maize under higher salinity level (i.e., 8 dS m−1) as compared to untreated unstressed control. Moreover, significant alterations in ascorbate peroxidase (53%), catalase (47%), superoxide dismutase (21%), MDA contents (40%), Na+ (25%), and K+ (30%) concentration of leaves were pragmatic under combined application of PGPR and SA. We concluded that integration of PGPR and SA can efficiently induce salinity tolerance and improve plant growth under stressed conditions.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity adversely affected maize growth, yield, and physiological attributes versus control.
- Treatment
- salinity stresse0
- Outcome
- maize growth, yield, and physiological attributese0
- Direction
- adversely affectede0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“salinity stress adversely affected maize growth, yield, and physiological attributes compared to the control”
Claim · model-written summary
Individual PGPR application alleviated salinity effects and improved measured maize attributes.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“both individual and combined applications of PGPR and SA alleviated the negative effects of salinity and improved all the measured plant attributes”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Individual SA application alleviated salinity effects and improved measured maize attributes.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“both individual and combined applications of PGPR and SA alleviated the negative effects of salinity and improved all the measured plant attributes”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined PGPR and SA enhanced shoot dry weight by 41% at 8 dS m−1.
- Treatment
- PGPR + SAe0
- Outcome
- shoot and root dry weightse0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
- Value
- 41%e0
- Qualifier
- 8 dS m−1e0
- Comparator
- untreated unstressed controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PGPR + SA was significant in enhancing the shoot and root dry weights (41 and 56%), relative water contents (32%), chlorophyll a and b contents (25 and 27%), and grain yield (41%) of maize under higher salinity level (i.e., 8 dS m−1) as compared to untreated unstressed control”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined PGPR and SA enhanced root dry weight by 56%.
- Treatment
- PGPR + SAe0
- Outcome
- root dry weightse0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
- Value
- 56%e0
- Comparator
- untreated unstressed controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PGPR + SA was significant in enhancing the shoot and root dry weights (41 and 56%), relative water contents (32%), chlorophyll a and b contents (25 and 27%), and grain yield (41%) of maize under higher salinity level (i.e., 8 dS m−1) as compared to untreated unstressed control”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined PGPR and SA enhanced relative water contents by 32%.
- Treatment
- PGPR + SAe0
- Outcome
- relative water contentse0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
- Value
- 32%e0
- Comparator
- untreated unstressed controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PGPR + SA was significant in enhancing the shoot and root dry weights (41 and 56%), relative water contents (32%), chlorophyll a and b contents (25 and 27%), and grain yield (41%) of maize under higher salinity level (i.e., 8 dS m−1) as compared to untreated unstressed control”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined PGPR and SA enhanced chlorophyll a content by 25%.
- Treatment
- PGPR + SAe0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll ae0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
- Value
- 25 and 27%e0
- Comparator
- untreated unstressed controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PGPR + SA was significant in enhancing the shoot and root dry weights (41 and 56%), relative water contents (32%), chlorophyll a and b contents (25 and 27%), and grain yield (41%) of maize under higher salinity level (i.e., 8 dS m−1) as compared to untreated unstressed control”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined PGPR and SA enhanced chlorophyll b content by 27%.
- Treatment
- PGPR + SAe0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll a and b contentse0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
- Value
- 27%e0
- Comparator
- untreated unstressed controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PGPR + SA was significant in enhancing the shoot and root dry weights (41 and 56%), relative water contents (32%), chlorophyll a and b contents (25 and 27%), and grain yield (41%) of maize under higher salinity level (i.e., 8 dS m−1) as compared to untreated unstressed control”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined PGPR and SA enhanced grain yield by 41%.
- Treatment
- PGPR + SAe0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
- Value
- 41%e0
- Comparator
- untreated unstressed controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PGPR + SA was significant in enhancing the shoot and root dry weights (41 and 56%), relative water contents (32%), chlorophyll a and b contents (25 and 27%), and grain yield (41%) of maize under higher salinity level (i.e., 8 dS m−1) as compared to untreated unstressed control”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined PGPR and SA significantly altered ascorbate peroxidase by 53%.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significant alterations in ascorbate peroxidase (53%), catalase (47%), superoxide dismutase (21%), MDA contents (40%), Na+ (25%), and K+ (30%) concentration of leaves were pragmatic under combined application of PGPR and SA”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined PGPR and SA significantly altered catalase by 47%.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significant alterations in ascorbate peroxidase (53%), catalase (47%), superoxide dismutase (21%), MDA contents (40%), Na+ (25%), and K+ (30%) concentration of leaves were pragmatic under combined application of PGPR and SA”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined PGPR and SA significantly altered superoxide dismutase by 21%.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significant alterations in ascorbate peroxidase (53%), catalase (47%), superoxide dismutase (21%), MDA contents (40%), Na+ (25%), and K+ (30%) concentration of leaves were pragmatic under combined application of PGPR and SA”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined PGPR and SA significantly altered leaf MDA contents by 40%.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significant alterations in ascorbate peroxidase (53%), catalase (47%), superoxide dismutase (21%), MDA contents (40%), Na+ (25%), and K+ (30%) concentration of leaves were pragmatic under combined application of PGPR and SA”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined PGPR and SA significantly altered leaf Na+ concentration by 25%.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significant alterations in ascorbate peroxidase (53%), catalase (47%), superoxide dismutase (21%), MDA contents (40%), Na+ (25%), and K+ (30%) concentration of leaves were pragmatic under combined application of PGPR and SA”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined PGPR and SA significantly altered leaf K+ concentration by 30%.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significant alterations in ascorbate peroxidase (53%), catalase (47%), superoxide dismutase (21%), MDA contents (40%), Na+ (25%), and K+ (30%) concentration of leaves were pragmatic under combined application of PGPR and SA”
t0“Maize”
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See all 95 papers →8 of 13 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.