Seed treatment with auxins modulates growth and ion partitioning in salt-stressed wheat plants

Experiments were performed to determine whether seed priming with different concentrations (100, 150, and 200 mg/L) of auxins (indoleacetic acid (IAA), indolebutyric acid (IBA), or their precursor tryptophane (Trp)) could alter salinity induced perturbances in salicylic acid and ion concentrations and, hence, growth in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, namely M.H.-97 (salt intolerant) and Inqlab-91 (salt tolerant). Primed and non-primed seeds were sown in Petri dishes in a growth room, as well as in a field treated with 15 dS/m NaCl salinity. All priming agents, except IBA, increased the final germination percentage in both cultivars. The seedlings of either cultivar raised from Trp-treated seeds had greater dry biomass when under salt stress. In field experiments, Trp priming was much more effective in mediating the increase in grain yield, irrespective of the cultivar, under salt stress. The alleviatory effect of Trp was found to be associated with reduced uptake of Na+ in the roots and subsequent translocation to the shoots, as well as increased partitioning of Ca2+ in the roots of salt-stressed wheat plants. Plants of both cultivars raised from Trp- and IAA-treated seeds accumulated free salicylic acid in their leaves when under salt stress. Overall, the Trp priming-induced improvement in germination and the subsequent growth of wheat plants could be related to ion homeostasis when under salt stress. The possible involvement of salicylic acid in the Trp priming-induced better growth under conditions of salt stress is discussed.