The impact of nano fertilization and salicylic acid on growth, yield and anti-oxidant contents in rocket plant under salt stress

Abstract

This investigation aimed to study the effect of organic fertilizers, nano-fertilizers and salicylic acid on the growth and yield of rocket (Eruca sativa L.) and the content of active compounds and antioxidants when the plants were exposed to salt stress. The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) according to the split-plot system. The main factor was water quality (1.2 dS m–1 and 8 dS m–1). While the combination treatments of Nano fertilizer, Salicylic acid and poultry manure were distributed in sub-plots and each treatment included three replicates. The treatments irrigated with saline water showed a reduction of glucosinolate and ascorbate contents (58 µg g–1 and 105.71 µg g–1, respectively). Salinity led to an increase in glutathione and proline in the leaves (1146 and 2.2 µg g–1, respectively), while the fertilization treatments (poultry manure + nano-NPK; poultry manure + salicylic acid + nano-NPK) resulted in an increase in the glucosinolate content of the leaves under salt stress (85.6 and 89.2 µg g–1, respectively). The nano-NPK treatment achieved a high value of the leaves’ ascorbic acid content under the unstressed conditions (166.73 µg g–1), while the salicylic acid + nano-NPK treatment achieved the highest value of ascorbic acid under salt stress (137.4 µg g–1). The combination of salicylic acid + poultry manure + nano-NPK obtained the highest value of glutathione content in the leaves (1950 µg g–1) under the stress conditions. There is a positive correlation between salt stress and glutathione + proline, while the salt stress condition had a negative effect on glucosinolate, ascorbate and yield.

Keywords

• glutathione
• ascorbic acid
• salt stress
• nano fertilization