Foliar- and soil-applied salicylic acid and bagasse compost addition to soil reduced deleterious effects of salinity on wheat

Higher accumulation of salts causes osmotic and oxidative stresses to plants. Salicylic acid (SA) is one of the naturally producing phenolic compounds and has important roles in regulation of physiological and biochemical mechanisms in plant under biotic and abiotic stresses. The present study was designed to evaluate the possible effects of foliar- and soil-applied SA and bagasse compost (BC) addition on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth in saline soil. For this purpose, a pot experiment was conducted on soil with artificially imposed salinity (EC 14dSm(-1)). After 15days of wheat seed germination, the SA (0.5mM) was applied by foliar and soil applications. Results showed that the artificially developed salinity significantly reduced the root and shoot length, leaf area, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and grain yield etc. of wheat plants; however, foliar or soil application of SA and BC addition significantly alleviated the adverse impacts of salinity on these attributes. In non-saline soil, soil application of SA with BC performed better than foliar application but in saline soil, reverse trend was observed. In general, under salinity stress, foliar application of SA showed better modulating impacts on wheat growth than soil application of SA. Our findings suggest that foliar application of SA with BC addition could be a better way to improve plant growth under salt stress conditions and may have important implications for enhancing crop productivity under salt stress environment.