Antioxidant enzymes and physiological traits of Vicia faba L. as affected by salicylic acid under salt stress

Salt stress causes a number of changes in plant metabolism. however,salicylic acid (sa) is one of plant growth regulator involved in various physiological processes. the effects of salt stress and seeds soaked in sa on physiological and biochemical parameters of v. faba l. shoot and root were investigated. results show that increased salinity reduces leaf water potential and stomatal conductance. however,this inhibitory effect was alleviated due to sa treatment. salinity induces oxidative stress in shoots and roots,and increases the concentration of total phenolic contents,soluble sugar,protein,proline,mda and some antioxidant enzymes such as sod and ppo,while seeds soaked in sa reduce their concentration/activity. in addition,salinity decreased chlorophyll a,total chlorophyll,carotenoids content and the activity of pod only in control plants. therefore,pre-soaking the seeds in sa improved plant tolerance to salinity compared to the control plants. these findings indicate that sa might have an important protective effect in plants under salt stress and may help to alleviate the adverse effect of salinity on the growth of v.faba l. © 2017,university of mohammed 1er oujda morocco.