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GLOMUS ETUNICATUM ROOT INOCULATION AND FOLIAR APPLICATION OF ACETYL SALICYLIC ACID INDUCED NACL TOLERANCE BY REGULATION OF NAC1 & LeNHX1 GENE EXPRESSION AND IMPROVED PHOTOSYNTHETIC PERFORMANCE IN TOMATO SEEDLINGS

BUSHRA GHAZANFAR, CHENG ZHIHUI^*, CUINAN WU, HANQIANG LIU, HEZI LI, RANA NAVEED UR REHMAN, IMRAN AHMAD AND ABDUL REHMAN KHAN

Abstract: Salinity stress hampers plant growth and cause significant yield losses thus induction of salinity stress tolerance in crop plants is one of major goals of agriculture research. Arbuscular mycorhizae fungi Glomus etunicatum and acetyl salicylic acid were tested for induction of NaCl stress tolerance in tomato seedlings, cultivar No. 4. The seedlings were inoculated with Glomus etunicatum and exogenously sprayed with acetyl salicylic acid (0.30 mM) followed by salinity stress (150 mM). It was observed that both Glomus etunicatum and acetyl salicylic acid (singly or in combination) were significantly effective to minimize the injurious effects of salinity by improving root morphological parameters (length, diameter, surface area, volume and number of  tips, nodes, bifurcations and connections), photosynthetic parameters (net photosynthesis P_n, stomatal conductance G_s) and chlorophyll contents compared to sole salinity treatment. The bio-inoculant Glomus etunicatum and chemical ameliorator acetyl salicylic acid also notably improved vegetative (fresh and dry weights) and reproductive growth (percent seedlings with flower buds and opened flowers, number of flower buds and opened flowers per seedling) of the plants as compared to the sole salinity treatment. The studied salt responsive genes (LeNHX1 and NAC1) were also regulated to different extents in seedling roots and leaves which was consistent with enhanced salinity stress tolerance. From these observations it is suggested that the individual or synergetic use of the AMF (Glomus etunicatum) and acetyl salicylic acid can be useful for tomato cultivation in the marginally salinity effected soils and warrants further investigations.

Key words: Salt tolerance, Tomato, Glomus etunicatum, Arbuscular mycorhizae fungi, Acetyl salicylic acid.
 

College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R China 7100

^*Corresponding author’s email: chengzh@nwsuaf.edu.cn, Phone: 0086-2987082543