GLYCINEBETAINE-INDUCED MODULATION IN SOME BIOCHEMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES OF OKRA UNDER SALT STRESS

 

HAFIZ MUHAMMAD SAEED¹, JAVED IQBAL MIRZA^1,3 AND MUHAMMAD AKBAR ANJUM^2*

 

¹Institute of Pure & Applied Biology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

²Department of Horticulture, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

³Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan

^*Corresponding author^’s e-mail: akbaranjum@bzu.edu.pk, Tel. # +92 61 9239422

 

Abstract

 

Role of glycinebetaine (GB) in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) cv. Subz-pari plants grown under salinity stress was investigated under field conditions. The crop was planted under varying levels (0, 200 and 400 mg NaCl per kg of soil) of salinity stress. Foliar application of 75 mM GB was employed at two phases i.e. after 30 and 60 days of sowing. Imposition of salinity stress significantly increased leaf GB and proline contents but significantly reduced leaf chlorophyll content and physiological characteristics such as rate of photosynthesis (Pn), rate of transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (gs) and leaf relative water content (LRWC). Exogenous application of GB significantly increased GB content but decreased proline content of leaves and improved various gas exchange characteristics/physiological parameters. The present results thus indicated that foliar application of GB (75 mM) can modulate various biochemical and gas exchange parameters of okra, grown under salt stress.

 

Key words: Abelmoschus esculentus, Gas exchange, Proline, Soil salinity.