The Effect of NaCl Stress on Biochemical, Physiological, Photosynthetic and Morpho-physiological Indicators of the Medicinal Plant Forest Savory

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Agriculture, Technical and Engineering Faculty, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

2 Faculty of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Science (KUMS), Kermanshah, Iran

3 Soil and Water Research Department, Kermanshah Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Kermanshah, Iran

Abstract

Satureja mutica Fisch. & C. A. Mey (Forest Savory) is a valuable wild plant species widely used in the medicinal, health, and food industries. In this study, we investigated the effects of 0, 50, 100, and 150 mM NaCl on various physio-biochemical, morpho-physiological, and photosynthetic parameters of this plant through a greenhouse experiment. The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design (RCBD, r = 3) at the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center, Kermanshah, Iran. The highest shoot fresh weight (17.80 g) and shoot dry weight (6.73 g) were observed in the control plants. The highest essential oil content (EO) percentage (3.51%) was recorded in plants treated with 100 mM NaCl. The results showed that NaCl concentrations of 100 and 150 mM significantly reduced the leaf dry weight (by 37.13% and 41.86%), the shoot dry weight (by 51.54% and 82.74%), root fresh weight (by 77.92% and 82.74%), and the root dry weight (by 70.79% and 78.97%). Additionally, 100 and 150 mM NaCl significantly decreased leaf areas (by 23.55% and 28.01%), leaf relative water content (by 25.66% and 28.53%), SPAD values (by 6.36% and 41.35%), and the Fv/Fm ratio (by 10.21% and 16.40%). Furthermore, 150 mM NaCl resulted in a 44.81% reduction in the photosynthetic index (PI). The 50 and 100 mM NaCl treatments significantly increased leaf protein content by 50.67% and 82.22%, respectively, whereas 150 mM NaCl significantly decreased it. All salinity treatments caused a sharp increase in leaf proline content. In conclusion, the results confirmed that S. mutica is sensitive to salinity concentrations of 100 mM and higher, and thus, cultivating this plant in semi-saline or saline soils is not recommended.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. Kulak M. Recurrent drought stress effects on essential oil profile of Lamiaceae plants: An approach regarding stress memory. Industrial Crops and Products. 2020; 154: 112695.
  2. Jamzad Z. Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran, Iran. Flora of Iran, Lamiaceae. 2012; Vol. 76.
  3. Mazandarani M., Monfaredi L. Evaluation of antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Satureja mutica Fisch. & C.A. Mey. collected from north khorasan province. Medical Laboratory Journal. 2017; 11(1): 23-27.
  4. Kamran M., Parveen A., Ahmar S., Malik Z., Hussain S., Chattha M.S., et al. An overview of hazardous impacts of soil salinity in crops, tolerance mechanisms, and amelioration through selenium supplementation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2020; 21(1): 148.
  5. Sarker U., Oba S. The response of salinity stress-induced A. tricolor to growth, anatomy, physiology, non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2020; 11: 559876.
  6. Balasubramaniam T., Shen G., Esmaeili N., Zhang H. Plants' Response mechanisms to salinity stress. Plants (Basel, Switzerland). 2023; 12(12): 2253.
  7. Zhao H., Liang H., Chu Y., Sun C., Wei N., Yang M., Zheng C. Effects of salt stress on chlorophyll fluorescence and the antioxidant system in Ginkgo biloba L. seedlings. Hortsci. 2019; 54(12): 2125-2133.
  8. Dong Y.J., Wang W.W., Hu G.Q., Chen W.F., Zhuge Y.P., Wang Z.L., He M.R. Role of exogenous 24-epibrassinolide in enhancing the salt tolerance of wheat seedlings. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. 2017; 17: 554-569.
  9. Saadatfar A., Hossein Jafari S. Application of 24-epibrassinolide as an environmentally friendly strategy alleviates negative effects of salinity stress in Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad. Journal of Rangeland Science. 2023; 14(3): 1-9.
  10. Zarei B., Fazeli A., Tahmasebi Z. Salicylic acid in reducing effect of salinity on some growth parameters of Black cumin (Nigella sativa). Plant Process and Function. 2019; 8(29): 287-298 (In Persian).
  11. Soni S., Kumar A., Sehrawat N., Kumar A., Kumar N., Lata C., Mann A. Effect of saline irrigation on plant water traits, photosynthesis and ionic balance in durum wheat genotypes. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences. 2021; 28(4): 2510-2517.
  12. Kumar S., Li G., Yang J., Huang X., Ji Q., Liu Z., Ke W., Houl H. Effect of salt stress on growth, physiological parameters, and ionic concentration of water dropwort (Oenanthe javanica) cultivars. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2021; 12: 660409.
  13. Shen Z., Pu X., Wang S., Dong X., Cheng X., Cheng M. Silicon improves ion homeostasis and growth of liquorice under salt stress by reducing plant Na+ uptake. Scientific Reports. 2022; 12(1): 5089.
  14. Kaur G., Asthir B. Proline: a key player in plant abiotic stress tolerance. Biology Plant. 2015; 59(4): 609-619.
  15. Athar H., Zulfiqar F., Moosa A., Ashraf M., Zafar Z., Zhang L., Ahmed N., Kalaji H.M., Nafees M., Hossain M.A., Islam M.S., El Sabagh A., Siddique K.H.M. Salt stress proteins in plants: An overview. Frontiers Plant Sciences. 2022; 13: 999058.
  16. Yang W., Wang F., Liu L.N., Sui N. Responses of Membranes and the Photosynthetic Apparatus to Salt Stress in Cyanobacteria. Frontiers Plant Sciences. 2020; 11: 713.
  17. Abdelkader M., Voronina L., Shelepova O., Puchkov M., Loktionova E., Zhanbyrshina N., Yelnazarkyzy R., Tleppayeva A., Ksenofontov A. Monitoring role of exogenous amino acids on the proteinogenic and ionic responses of lettuce plants under salinity stress conditions. Horticulturae. 2023; 9(6): 626.
  18. Kumar R., Bohra A., Pandey A.K., Pandey M.K., Kumar A. Metabolomics for plant improvement: status and prospects. Frontiers Plant Sciences. 2017; 8: 1302.
  19. Hernández-Adasme C., Palma-Dias R., Escalona V.H. The Effect of light intensity and photoperiod on the yield and antioxidant activity of beet microgreens produced in an indoor system. Horticulturae. 2023; 9(4): 493.
  20. Kumar S., Abass Ahanger M., Alshaya H., Latief Jan B., Yerramilli V. Salicylic acid mitigates salt induced toxicity through the modifications of biochemical attributes and some key antioxidants in Capsicum annuum. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences. 2022; 29(3): 1337-1347.
  21. Bian S., Jiang Y. Reactive oxygen species, antioxidant enzyme activities and gene expression patterns in leaves and roots of Kentucky bluegrass in response to drought stress and recovery. Scientia Horticulturae. 2009; 120(2): 264-270.
  22. Blum A., Ebercon A. Cell membrane stability as a measure of drought and heat tolerance in wheat. Crop Science. 1981; 21(1):cropsci1981.0011183X002100010013x.
  23. Ramachandra Reddy A., Chaitanya K.V., Jutur P.P., Sumithra K. Differential antioxidative responses to water stress among five mulberry (Morus alba L.) cultivars. Environmental and Experimental Botany. 2004; 52(1): 33-42.
  24. Bates L.S., Waldren R.P., Teare I.D. Rapid determination of free proline for water-stress studies. Plant and Soil. 1973; 39(1): 205-207.
  25. Bradford M.M. A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Analytical Biochemistry. 1976; 72(1): 248-254.
  26. Saadatfar A., Hossein Jafari S. The effect of methyl jasmonate on morpho-physiological and biochemical parameters and mineral contents in Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad under salinity stress. Journal of Medicinal Plants. 2022; 21(84): 87-99.
  27. Harati E., Kashefi B., Matinzadeh M. Investigation reducing detrimental effects of salt stress on morphological and physiological traits of (Thymus vulgaris) by application of salicylic acid. Iranian Journal of Plant Physiology. 2015; 5(3): 1383-1391.
  28. Yu X., Shi P., Hui C., Miao L., Liu C., Zhang Q., Feng C. Effects of salt stress on the leaf shape and scaling of Pyrus betulifolia Bunge. Symmetry. 2019; 11(8): 991.
  29. Menezes R.V., Neto A.D.A., Ribeiro M.O., Cova A.M.W. Growth and contents of organic and inorganic solutes in amaranth under salt stress. Pesquisa Agropecuária Tropical. 2017; 47 (1): 22-30.
  30. Su J., Wu S., Xu Z., Qiu S., Luo T., Yang Y., Chen Q., Xia Y., Zou S., Huang B., Huang B. Comparison of salt tolerance in brassicas and some related species. American Journal of Plant Sciences. 2013; 4: 1911-1917.
  31. Wang C., Gu Q., Zhao L., Li C., Ren J., Zhang J. Photochemical efficiency of photosystem ii in inverted leaves of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] affected by elevated temperature and high light. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2022; 12: 772644.
  32. Yang Y., Nan R., Mi T., Song Y., Shi F., Liu X., Wang Y., Sun F., Xi Y., Zhang C. Rapid and nondestructive evaluation of wheat chlorophyll under drought stress using hyperspectral imaging. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023; 24: 5825.
  33. Shah S.H., Houborg R., McCabe M.F. Response of chlorophyll, carotenoid and SPAD-502 measurement to salinity and nutrient stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Agronomy. 2017; 7(3): 61.
  34. Othman Y.A., Hani M.B., Ayad J.Y., St Hilaire R. Salinity level influenced morpho-physiology and nutrient uptake of young citrus rootstocks. Heliyon. 2023; 9(2): 13336.
  35. Zushi K., Matsuzoe N. Using of chlorophyll, a fluorescence OJIP transients for sensing salt stress in the leaves and fruits of tomato. Scientia Horticulturae. 2017; 219: 216-221.
  36. Bertamini M., Grando M., Zocca P., Pedrotti M., Lorenzi S., Cappellin L. Linking monoterpenes and abiotic stress resistance in grapevines. BIO Web of Conferences. 2019; 13: 01003.
  37. Kwon E.H., Adhikari A., Imran M., Lee D.S., Lee C.Y., Kang S.M., Lee I.J. Exogenous SA Applications Alleviate Salinity Stress via Physiological and Biochemical changes in St John's Wort Plants. Plants (Basel). 2023; 12(2): 310.
  38. Ranjbar-Fordoei A., Dehghani-Bidgoli R. Impact of Salinity stress on photochemical efficiency of photosystem ii, chlorophyll content and nutrient elements of Nitere bush (Nitraria schoberi L.) Plants. Journal of Rangeland Science. 2016; 6(1): 1-9.
  39. Arvin P., Firuzeh R. Effects of salinity stress on physiological and biochemical traits of some fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) populations. Iranian Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research. 2021; 37(5): 822-837 (In Persian).
  40. Ma X., Zheng J., Zhang X., Hu Q., Qian R. Salicylic acid alleviates the adverse effects of salt stress on Dianthus superbus (Caryophyllaceae) by activating photosynthesis, protecting morphological structure, and enhancing the antioxidant system. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2017; 8: 600.
  41. Behzadi Rad P., Roozban M.R., Karimi S., Ghahremani R., Vahdati K. Osmolyte accumulation and sodium compartmentation has a key role in salinity tolerance of Pistachios rootstocks. Agriculture. 2021; 11(8): 708.
Journal of Medicinal plants and By-products
Volume 14, Issue 6
November and December 2025
Pages 614-619

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics