Exogenous supplementation with sodium nitroprusside, a nitric oxide donor, mitigates the effects of salinity in Abelmoschus esculentus L. seedlings

• Published in: Horticulture, environment and biotechnology 2022, Environment, and Biotechnology, 63(3), , pp.341-351
• Main Authors: Sundararajan, Sathish, Shanmugam, Rekha, Sivakumar, Hari Priya, Ramalingam, Sathishkumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abelmoschus esculentus; Accumulation; Agriculture; Antioxidants; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Catalase; Chlorophyll; Electrolyte leakage; Enzymes; Germination; Hydrogen peroxide; Life Sciences; Moisture content; Nitrate reductase; Nitric oxide; Okra; Peroxidase; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Ecology; Plant growth; Plant Physiology; Proline; Reductases; Research Report; Salinity; Salinity effects; Seedlings; Sodium; Sodium chloride; Sodium nitroprusside; Superoxide dismutase; Supplements; Water content; 농학
• ISSN: 2211-3452; 2211-3460
• DOI: 10.1007/s13580-021-00406-2

We investigated the protective role of the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in ameliorating the detrimental effects of salinity in in vitro -grown okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus L.). Okra seedlings were subjected to salinity treatments at three different NaCl concentrations (100, 150, and 200 mM), which caused a significant reduction in germination rate, shoot and root lengths, and shoot fresh weight (FW) and dry weight (DW). Further, salinity exposure had detrimental effects on the total chlorophyll content, proline content, electrolyte leakage (EL), relative water content (RWC), malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, and nitrate reductase activity in the seedlings. However, supplementation with SNP significantly improved the plant growth parameters including shoot and root lengths, shoot FW and DW, chlorophyll content, and proline accumulation. Among the tested concentrations, SNP at 100 and 150 µM significantly reduced the H 2 O 2 content, MDA accumulation, and EL, and increased the RWC under salinity stress. SNP supplementation also resulted in increased activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase. Our results revealed the positive effects of SNP in alleviating salt stress through enhanced activity of antioxidant enzymes and osmotic adjustment, which can be explored and applied for better growth and yield performance, especially in regions with high salinity.