Abstract
•Salinity inhibited growth in R. damascena.•Accumulation of Na+ resulted in a reduction in potassium, calcium and magnesium accumulation in leaves.•Salt disturbed lipid peroxidation by increasing malondialdehyde content and leads to stimulated H2O2 content.•At 200 mM NaCl, a decrease in antioxidant enzyme specific activities for superoxide dismutase, catalase and guaiacol peroxidase occurred in concert with a decrease in polyphenol, tannin and flavonoid content.
The rose of Taif (Rosa damascena) is a medicinal and aromatic plant, is the most widely used species for production in the perfume industry and regarded as an important Taif economical product in Saudi Arabia. It is characterized by drought and therefore an accumulation of saline levels in soil which is regarded as the major limitation to the development and survivorship of vegetation in environment. We examined the impact of several concentrations of NaCl (0, 50, 100, and 200 mM) on plant development, nutrient status and antioxidant capacity. Decreased growth was related to an imbalance in nutrition and a reduction in the potassium, calcium and magnesium accumulation in the photosynthetic organs. Salt resistance of R. damascena at 100 mM NaCl was correlated the maintenance of high water and chlorophyll contents. Salt disturbed lipid peroxidation by increasing malondialdehyde and H2O2 contents. Leaf superoxide dismutases, catalase and guaiacol peroxidase activities showed a decrease by different concentration of NaCl, observed in conjunction with a reduction in the content of polyphenol, tannin and flavonoid. The decrease in the stimulation of antioxidant activities by salt in R. damascena could mean either constitutive activities were adequate to provide antioxidant protection versus oxidative stress, or the salt intrinsic tolerance of this plant attenuated the cell's oxidative stress.