Induced changes by NaCl-Seed priming in Dracocephalum moldavica plants upon salinity

To evaluate the effects of NaCl priming to increase salt tolerance in Dracocephalum moldavica L. an experiment was conducted as factorial based on completely randomized design at Shahrekord University.

Seeds of medicinal plant D. moldavica were primed with NaCl (1 M/ for 24 h/ at darkness/ under 25˚C) and then 30-day-old plants were introduced to salinity (0, 100 and 150 mM NaCl) for one month. The analyzed parameters consisted of dry weight, leaf area, total water content, leaf relative water content, electrolyte leakage, lipid peroxidation, photosynthetic pigments concentrations, total phenolic content and the activity of antioxidant enzymes.

NaCl-priming alleviated the injurious effects of salinity in the salinized plants. The biomass increased up to 64.5% and 3-fold at 100 and 150 mM NaCl, compared to exclusively salinity. Ion leakage and lipid peroxidation decreased as well. Moreover, NaCl-priming led to increase leaf area, improve water status, photosynthetic pigments content and antioxidant enzymes activities in favor of improving the biomass of salinized D. moldavica. Total phenolic content increased by salinity alone, but NaCl-priming markedly decreased it at normal condition. The pattern of polyphenols concentration and accumulation was different under NaCl-priming + salinity treatment.

Limitations:

 No special limitations were founded. 

Originality/Value:

Seed priming with NaCl enhanced salt tolerance in D. moldavica through improving water status and photosynthesis, protection of cellular membrane integrity and changes in antioxidant enzyme activity. Alternation in polyphenols concentration might be a signature of changes in the medicinal properties of different parts of this medicinal plant.