Improving the Salinity Tolerance in Wheat Plants Using Salicylic and Ascorbic Acids

A pot experiment was conducted during 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 successive growing winter seasons under greenhouse conditions at the Experimental Station, Fac. of Agric., Zagazig Univ., Sharkia Governorate, Egypt to evaluate the response of wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. Sakha 93 to different levels of foliar spray of some antioxidant tested substances as ascorbic and salicylic acids at a rate of 0.1 and 0.2%, with respect to vegetative criteria, some physiological properties i.e. phenol components, proline concentration, yield components, NPK-uptake as well as anatomical structure of flag leaf blade grown under salt stress conditions, 3.21 dSm-1 , 6.32 dSm-1 and 10.65 dSm-1 of soil salt. Data indicated that, all studied vegetative criteria of wheat plants, decreased under salt stress condition. Spraying antioxidant substances seemed to partially overcome the harmful effects of salt stress on vegetative criteria. Significant increase in the concentrations of phenols component and proline concentration in response to salt stress treatments. Also, application of tested antioxidant significantly reduced phenols component and increase proline concentration in leaves under water stress condition. Dry matter of straw and grain and yield quality, straw and grains N, P and K-uptake were decreased with increasing the soil salinity level. This trend was found true under all foliar sprays with salicylic and ascorbic acids at different rates. The highest values of straw and grain yield, biological yield, weight of 1000 grain, protein content and yield efficiency, straw and grains N, P and K-uptake of wheat plants occurred with ascorbic acid 0.2% “AA2†treatment followed by ascorbic acid 0.1% “AA1†, salicylic acid 0.2% “SA2†, salicylic acid 0.1% “SA1†and untreated plants that descending order in the two seasons.