Salicylic Acid Enhances the Growth and Productivity of Calendula Plants Subjected to Salinity Stress | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Botany | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 18 November 2025 | ||
| Document Type: Regular issue (Original Article) | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejbo.2025.382401.3292 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Sabah A.H. Zayed1; Ragab S. Taha* 2; Adel G.M. Kenawy3; Ahmed M. Ayyat1 | ||
| 1Department of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Faculty of Agriculture, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef ,62521, Egypt | ||
| 2Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef , 62521, Egypt | ||
| 3Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Department, Horticulture Research Institute (HRI), Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Crop production faces numerous challenges, including salinity that restricts plant growth and productivity of plants, particularly in dry locations. The morphological and anatomical features and physiological processes are reduced via salinity stress. Salicylic acid (SA) is essential for resistance to abiotic stress, as it functions as a phytohormone that regulates the growth of calendula. Therefore, pot investigations were conducted to evaluate the prospective role of SA (0, 200, and 300 ppm) in reducing the detrimental effects of salinity stress (0, 2000, 4000, or 6000 ppm) on the morphological, anatomical, physiological changes, and yield attributes of calendula plants. The results indicated that the highest salinity levels, 4000 and 6000 ppm, led to a reduction in vegetative growth, floral traits, and leaf anatomical characteristics. Physiological characteristics, including leaf pigments, β-carotene content in flowers, relative water content, total soluble sugars, and N%, P%, and K% in dry herb, were also decreased. In contrast, the contents of proline and phenolic acid increased under salinity stress. The SA concentrations tested led to significant amelioration of the examined features, such as the morphological, physiological, anatomical, and productivity traits. Regarding the SA, it markedly enhanced the anatomical leaf structure of the calendula plants cultivated under saline stress, as well as plant development, leaf pigments, total soluble sugars (TSS), relative water content (RWC), yield, and their constituents. Conversely, SA decreased proline and phenolic acid content compared to the untreated plants. Thus, SA is one promising method to enhance calendula productivity and improve its resistance to salt stress. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Anatomy; Calendula; Growth; Salicylic acid; Salinity; Yield | ||
|
Statistics Article View: 2 |
||
