Open Access
ARTICLE
Exogenous Selenium Mitigates Salt Stress in Soybean by Improving Growth, Physiology, Glutathione Homeostasis and Antioxidant Defense
Hesham F. Alharby1, Mirza Hasanuzzaman2,*, Hassan S. Al-Zahrani1, Khalid Rehman Hakeem1
1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia
2 Department of Agronomy, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh
* Corresponding Author: Mirza Hasanuzzaman. Email:
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Plant Physiology for Crop Production and Sustainable Agriculture)
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2021, 90(2), 373-388. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2021.013657
Received 15 August 2020; Accepted 16 October 2020; Issue published 07 February 2021
Abstract
The mechanism of selenium (Se)-induced salt tolerance was studied in moderately sensitive soybean (
Glycine
max L.) plants. To execute this view, soybean plants were imposed with salt stress (EC 6 dS m
−1
) applying NaCl.
In other treatments, Se (0, 25, 50 and 75 µM Na
2SeO
4) was sprayed as co-application with that level of salt stress.
Plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, SPAD value decreased noticeably under salt stress. Altered proline (Pro)
level, together with decreased leaf relative water content (RWC) was observed in salt-affected plants. Salt stress
resulted in brutal oxidative damage and increased the content of H
2O
2, MDA level and electrolyte leakage. Exogenous Se spray alleviated oxidative damage through boosting up the antioxidant defense system by increasing the
activity of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and glutathione reductase (GR), as well
as by improving non-enzymatic antioxidants like glutathione (GSH) and GSH/glutathione disulfide (GSSG). The
upregulated antioxidant defense system, restored Pro and leaf RWC, higher SPAD value conferred better growth
and development in Se-sprayed salt-affected soybean plants which altogether put forth for the progressive yield
contributing parameters and finally, seed yield. Among different doses of Se, soybean plants sprayed with 50 µM
Na
2SeO
4 showed better salt tolerance.
Keywords
Cite This Article
APA Style
Alharby, H.F., Hasanuzzaman, M., Al-Zahrani, H.S., Hakeem, K.R. (2021). Exogenous selenium mitigates salt stress in soybean by improving growth, physiology, glutathione homeostasis and antioxidant defense. Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, 90(2), 373-388. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2021.013657
Vancouver Style
Alharby HF, Hasanuzzaman M, Al-Zahrani HS, Hakeem KR. Exogenous selenium mitigates salt stress in soybean by improving growth, physiology, glutathione homeostasis and antioxidant defense. Phyton-Int J Exp Bot. 2021;90(2):373-388 https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2021.013657
IEEE Style
H.F. Alharby, M. Hasanuzzaman, H.S. Al-Zahrani, and K.R. Hakeem "Exogenous Selenium Mitigates Salt Stress in Soybean by Improving Growth, Physiology, Glutathione Homeostasis and Antioxidant Defense," Phyton-Int. J. Exp. Bot., vol. 90, no. 2, pp. 373-388. 2021. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2021.013657