The effect of glycine betaine to increase resistance of Salicornia plant (Salicornia persica) to salinity

Due to increasing world population and consequently the further need to produce more food for humans and livestock, cultivation of saline soils for agriculture in arid and semi-arid areas is a conspicuous necessity. Salicornia plant with the scientific name Salicornia sp. which relate to Chenopodiceae family is a suitable option to introduce in those regions. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different levels of glycine betaine priming and foliar application on Salicornia plant resistance improving to different levels of salinity. In first stage, salinity treatment of sodium chloride (150, 300, 450 and 600 mM) as the first factor and glycine betaine in five levels (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 mM) as the second factors were used. The second stage was sodium chloride treatment at three levels (150, 300 and 450 mM) and glycine betaines in three levels (0, 60 and 120 mM),as the first and second factors respectively. High levels of salinity in both stages delayed and suppressed germination and plant growth parameters of salicornia plant. Seed priming and glycine betaine foliar application reduced the negative effects of salinity on related indicators of germination as well as other traits. According to the results, seed priming with 90 and 120 mM glycine betaine and foliar application of 120 mM were the best treatments. In addition, the most suitable salinity levels for the growth and development of Salicornia were determined as 300 mM of sodium chloride. According to the results, the negative impacts of salinity (with NaCl) on germination and seedling growth parameters of Salicornia plant are well known, but seed priming and foliar application of glycinebetaine greatly reduces the negative effects of salt stress on germination-related indices and other studied traits in this experiment.
Key words: Free radicals, Germination, Glycine betaine, Salicornia, Salinity stress.