Abstract
The present study was carried out to elucidate the protective role of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) against salt (NaCl) stress given as seed soaking in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill. cv. K-21). For this experiment prior to sowing, the surface sterilized tomato seeds were soaked in different concentrations of NaCl solution (50, 100, and 150 mM) for 8 hours. Some NaCl soaked seeds were then transferred to the 10(-5) M of SNP solution for 8 hours. The plants were sampled at 60 DAS to assess the nitrate reductase activity, proline content and the activities of antioxidant enzymes. The antioxidant enzyme activity and proline content increased in the plants where SNP was applied as a follow up treatment of the NaCl as seed soaking over the control plants thereby providing stress tolerance to the plants. In case of the nitrate reductase activity the toxic effects generated by the lowest concentration of NaCl (50 mM) was completely neutralized by SNP and partly at higher concentrations (100/150 mM). These results suggest that nitric oxide can be used as a stress alleviator in plants which are grown in the soil contaminated with salinity stress.