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Brassinosteroid seed priming with nitrogen supplementation improves salt tolerance in soybean

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Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of brassinosteroid (24-epibrassinolide, EBL) seed priming and optimal nitrogen (N) supply in improving salt tolerance in soybean. The experimental treatments were (a) control (nutrient solution without N and without EBL priming), (b) nutrient solution without N and EBL seed priming, (c) N supplemented nutrient solution without EBL priming and (d) EBL seed priming + N supplemented nutrient solution under optimal (0 mM NaCl) and salt stress (0 mM NaCl) conditions. Salt stress caused significant reduction in growth and biomass accumulation of soybean. However, EBL seed priming and application of N improved the soybean performance under optimal and salt stress conditions. In this regard, treatments receiving both EBL and N were more effective. EBL priming and N, alone and in combination, triggered the accumulation of osmolytes including proline, glycine betaine and sugars resulting in better photo-protection through maintenance of tissue water content. Antioxidant activity and osmolyte accumulation significantly increased due to combined treatment of N and EBL under normal as well as salt stress conditions. In conclusion, salt stress caused reduction in growth and biomass soybean due to oxidative damage and osmotic stresses. However, soybean performance was improved by seed priming with EBL. Supplementation of N further improved the effectiveness of EBL treatment in improving salt tolerance in soybean.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Taibah University, Yanbu, Saudi Arabia

    Mona Soliman & Trabelsi Souad

  2. Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

    Mona Soliman

  3. Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

    Amr Elkelish

  4. Biology Department, Science College, Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia

    Haifa Alhaithloul

  5. Department of Crop Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud, Oman

    Muhammad Farooq

  6. Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan

    Muhammad Farooq

Authors
  1. Mona Soliman
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  2. Amr Elkelish
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  3. Trabelsi Souad
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  4. Haifa Alhaithloul
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  5. Muhammad Farooq
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Contributions

MS, AE and MF planned the experiment, MS and TS conducted the experiment, HA conducted statistical analysis. MS, AE, TS and HA prepared the manuscript draft. MF finalized the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Amr Elkelish or Muhammad Farooq.

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Soliman, M., Elkelish, A., Souad, T. et al. Brassinosteroid seed priming with nitrogen supplementation improves salt tolerance in soybean. Physiol Mol Biol Plants 26, 501–511 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-020-00765-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-020-00765-7

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