Abstract
AbstractSalt stress alters a wide array of plant metabolic mechanisms. Different strategies of the application of nutrients and phytohormones are required to overcome the adverse effects of salt stress. The main objective of the present study was to determine if added nitrogen (N) and gibberellin (GA3) in growth medium could alleviate the adverse effects of salt stress on plant metabolism. Two-week-old plants were fed with: (i) 0mm NaCl+0mg N kg-1 sand+0m GA3 (control), (ii) 100mm NaCl+0mg N kg-1 sand+0m GA3, (iii) 0mm NaCl+40mg N kg-1 sand+0m GA3, (iv) 0mm NaCl+0mg N kg-1 sand+10-5m GA3, (v) 100mm NaCl+40mg N kg-1 sand+0m GA3, (vi) 100mm NaCl+0mg N kg-1 sand+10-5m GA3, (vii) 100mm NaCl+40mg N kg-1 sand+10-5m GA3. Growth and physio-biochemical attributes i.e. shoot length, leaf area, fresh weight, dry weight, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, malondialdehyde concentration, electrolyte leakage, total chlorophyll concentration, nitrate reductase and carbonic anhydrase activities, proline and glycinebetaine concentration, leaf - N, potassium (K) and sodium (Na) concentration and K/Na ratio were affected by NaCl treatment. But application of N or GA3 alone as well as in combination proved beneficial in alleviating the adverse effects of salt stress on these growth and physio-biochemical parameters. However, N applied with GA3 proved more effective than N and GA3 applied alone. The results revealed that combined application of N and GA3 may ameliorate most of the attributes and prove to be a physiological remedy to increase the tolerance against the ill effects of salt stress in Brassica.