The effects of salinity and salicylic acid on morphological and physiological traits ‎of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) at earlier growth stages

In order to evaluate morphological and physiological responses of sorghum (Pegah cultivar) to salt stress (0، 5، 10 and 15 dS/m) and different salicylic acid (SA) levels (0، 0. 75 and 1. 5 mM)، an experiment was carried out in research green house of college of Agriculture Shiraz University during 2012 using a factorial as randomized complete block design with four replications. The results showed that salinity reduced stem length and leaf area of sorghum and the effect of salinity level at 15 dS/m was more pronounced. On the contrary، foliar application by SA increased these parameters. Moreover، salt stress and foliar SA increased the activity of catalase، superoxide dismutase، peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase and chlorophyll content. In summary، it can be concluded that foliar application of sorghum by SA improved growth and enhanced salt tolerance in this plant. Indeed، SA stimulated sorghum growth under salinity stress via enhanced anti-oxidant defense system، reduced oxidative stress and increased photo synthetic pigments.