@Article{phyton.2025.063633,
AUTHOR = {Jackson Silva Nóbrega, Geovani Soares de Lima, Jean Telvio Andrade Ferreira, Julio Cesar Agostinho da Silva, Lauriane Almeida dos Anjos Soares, Valéria Fernandes de Oliveira Sousa, Paulo Vinicius de Oliveira Freire, Reynaldo Teodoro de Fátima, Flávia de Sousa Almeida, Hans Raj Gheyi, Josemir Moura Maia},
TITLE = {Ascorbic Acid Alleviates Salt Stress on the Physiology and Growth of Guava Seedlings},
JOURNAL = {Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany},
VOLUME = {94},
YEAR = {2025},
NUMBER = {5},
PAGES = {1587--1600},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/phyton/v94n5/61372},
ISSN = {1851-5657},
ABSTRACT = {The Northeast region is the main producer of guava in Brazil, generating employment and income. However, water availability means that producer’s resort to using water with high salinity, which harms plant development, especially during the seedling formation phase. The adoption of techniques that mitigate the deleterious effect of salinity is increasingly necessary, such as the use of elicitors such as ascorbic acid. The purpose of this study was to analyze the morphophysiology of guava seedlings under saline and ascorbic acid levels. The study was carried out by applying treatments composed of five saline levels (SL = 0.3; 1.3; 2.3; 3.3 and 4.3 dS m<sup>−1</sup>) and four levels of ascorbic acid—AA (0, 200, 400, and 600 mg L<sup>−1</sup>), in a 5 × 4 factorial arrangement, adopting a randomized block design. Gas exchange and growth of guava seedlings are limited from 0.3 dS m<sup>−1</sup>. Using 400 mg L<sup>−1</sup> of AA reduces damage from salinity on stomatal conductance, transpiration, and net assimilation rate up to the estimated SL of 1.80 dS m<sup>−1</sup>. In contrast, AA level 412 mg L<sup>−1</sup> increased instantaneous water use efficiency up to the salinity of 2.3 dS m<sup>−1</sup>. AA level of 600 mg L<sup>−1</sup> attenuated salt stress effects on leaf area and height/stem diameter ratio up to SL of 2.05 dS m<sup>−1</sup>. The number of leaves and the absolute and relative growth rates were stimulated by AA under the lowest saline level.},
DOI = {10.32604/phyton.2025.063633}
}