Comparative evaluation of salicylic acid (SA) and 2,4-dichloro-6-{(E)-[(3methoxyphenyl)imino]methyl} phenol (DPMP) on growth and salt stress tolerance in forage pea (Pisum sativum L. arvense)

Abstract

Alleviation of salt stress is becoming one of the urgent needs of agricultural production. Even though enhancement of tolerance levels with genetic variation is a common approach, exogenous applications of various compounds are a newly emerging field. Here, the effects of two different plant elicitors, salicylic acid (SA) and 2,4-dichloro-6-{(E)-[(3methoxyphenyl)imino]methyl} phenol (DPMP) on growth and stress tolerance levels of forage pea (Pisum sativum L. arvense) were evaluated. Plants were exposed to salt stress (100 mM) in addition to DPMP, SA, or DMSO (Solvent) foliar spraying. The results revealed contrasting effects for each elicitor. Under non-stressed conditions, DPMP applied plants had higher values in plant height, shoot dry weight (SDW), and taproot length, while SA applied plants had significantly higher shoot fresh weight (SFW), and DMSO applied plants had higher values in root fresh (RFW) and dry (RDW) weights, and root/shoot ratios. When we evaluated stress tolerance index (STI) levels, DPMP applied plants had higher STI values in SFW, SDW, RFW, and RDW. DPMP improved STI and biomass allocation better than SA and DMSO. These elicitors may have significant potential in abiotic stress tolerance, in addition to their well-known biotic stress eliciting roles. There is a need for further research to define appropriate doses and application times.