Abstract
Climate change, food scarcity, salt stress, and a rapidly growing population are just a few of the major global challenges. The current study examined into whether
Moringa oleifera
(L.) leaf extract and green algae (
Ulva intestinalis
) could help improve salt tolerance in
Mentha
species (
Mentha piperita; Mentha longifolia
).
Moringa
leaf extract (MLE) and green algae (GA) were applied to
Mentha
seedlings under three different salt treatments: 0 mM, 20 mM, 40 mM, 60 mM, and 90 mM, respectively. For each treatment, three biological replicates were conducted, with each replicate containing at least three plants.
Mentha
species were negatively affected by salt stress in terms of shoot length, fresh and dry weight, photosynthetic pigments, and antioxidant enzyme activities. However, the use of MLE and GA significantly improved the development and physiology of
Mentha
species under salt stress conditions. The MLE and GA treatments dramatically (
p
≤ 0.001) increased SOD activity by 7% and 10%, CAT activity by 16% and 30%, APX activity by 34% and 56%, GPX activity by 12% and 47%, respectively, in
Mentha piperita
seedlings, which in turn strikingly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity by 6% and 9%, catalase (CAT) activity by 15%, 28% and 44%, 27%, ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity by 39% and 60%, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity by 23% and 58%, respectively, in
Mentha longifolia
seedlings, relative to the control. Aiming to answer questions about the relationship between plant extraction and traditional agricultural methods, this research greatly advances the goal of sustainable development for improving plant productivity by providing a much safer and more environmentally friendly adaptability.