Abstract
A field experiment was conducted in the Botanical Garden, University of Balochistan, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, to assess the tolerance potential of two lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) varieties, i.e., Dasht-21 and Black-Panjgur, under single and combined chromium and salinity stress with exogenous supplementation of Salicylic acid (SA). Design of the experiment was RCBD under factorial with 3 replicates. After 25 days of germination, stress (2 levels of Chromium and salinity) was applied, and after one week of stress, foliar supplementation of SA was applied. Plants per treatment were harvested after 10 days of foliar supplementation to analyse the nutritional status of lentil varieties. Results revealed that both varieties exhibited high levels of sodium (Na+) and Chromium (Cr) under single and combined stress, while SA ameliorated the accumulation of Na (20-25%) and Cr (15-20%) in root and shoots of lentils. Considering the beneficial minerals, i.e., potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg), it was observed that the plants treated with SA had the maximum concentration of K (15-35%) and Mg (20-30%) in plant tissues even under stress, while K and Mg concentrations were hampered in plants without SA supplementation under stress. Thus, the present study recommends foliar application of SA to alleviate the impacts of salinity and chromium stress by balancing the nutrient status of plants.
References
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