Abstract
Selenium (Se) is a naturally occurring substance that is toxic at high concentration for all life forms. It enters into
environment through natural and anthropogenic sources. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to study the effect of
foliar application of salicylic acid (SA) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on maize growing in selenium contaminated soil.
Salicylic acid and sodium nitroprusside are important growth controller molecules which regulate physiological functions in
plants and protect plants from environmental stresses. Two maize varieties (Pioneer 33H15 and Cargill 6142) were used in
this experiment. Two concentrations of SA and SNP (50μM and 100μM) were used as a foliar spray and selenium was
applied @ 20 mg kg-1
. Results showed that selenium stress caused a reduction in plant growth, chlorophyll content, gas
exchange parameters and activities of enzymes such as SOD, POD and CAT. Though, foliar application of SA and SNP
considerably reduces the negative impacts of selenium by enhancing the activities of antioxidant enzymes as they play an
important role in modulating the cell redox balance, thereby protecting plants against oxidative damage. There was
significant improvement in membrane stability index (68.33%), relative water contents (78.47%) along with increase in
activities of SOD (23%), POD (16.37%) and CAT (70%) in Pioneer 33H15 where SA was applied @ 100μM. These results
suggested that foliar application of SA might be more useful for improving maize growth by alleviating harmful effects of
Se.
Munaza Naseem, Muhammad Anwar-ul-Haq, Javaid Akhtar, Muhammad Jafar Jaskani. (2020) EFFECT OF EXOGENOUS APPLICATION OF SALICYLIC ACID AND SODIUM NITROPRUSSIDE ON MAIZE UNDER SELENIUM STRESS, Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Volume 57, Issue 1.
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