Biochemical and molecular responses of Rosa damascena mill. cv. Kashan to salicylic acid under salinity stress

Abstract

Background Today, salinity stress is one of the most important abiotic stresses in the world, because it causes damage to many agricultural products and reduces their yields. Oxidative stress causes tissue damages in plants, which occurs with the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) when plants are exposed to environmental stresses such as salinity. Today, it is recommended to use compounds that increase the resistance of plants to environmental stresses and improve plant metabolic activities. Salicylic acid (SA), as an intracellular and extracellular regulator of the plant response, is known as one of these effective compounds. Damask rose (Rosa damascena Mill.) is a medicinal plant from the Rosaceae, and its essential oils and aromatic compounds are used widely in the cosmetic and food industries in the world. Therefore, considering the importance of this plant from both medicinal and ornamental aspects, for the first time, we investigated one of the native cultivars of Iran (Kashan). Since one of the most important problems in Damask rose cultivation is the occurrence of salinity stress, for the first time, we investigated the interaction of several levels of NaCl salinity (0, 4, 8, and 12 ds m− 1) with SA (0, 0.5, 1, and 2 mM) as a stress reducer. Results Since salinity stress reduces plant growth and yield, in this experiment, the results showed that the increase in NaCl concentration caused a gradual decrease in photosynthetic and morphological parameters and an increase in ion leakage. Also, increasing the level of salinity stress up to 12 ds m− 1 affected the amount of chlorophyll, root length and leaf total area, all of which reduced significantly compared to plants under no stress. However, many studies have highlighted the application of compounds that reduce the negative effects of stress and increase plant resistance and tolerance against stresses. In this study, the application of SA even at low concentration (0.5 mM) could neutralize the negative effects of salinity stress in the Rosa damascena. In this regard, the results showed that salinity increases the activity of antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the concentration of proline, protein and glycine betaine (GB). Overexpression of antioxidant genes (Ascorbate Peroxidase (APX), CAT, Peroxidase (POD), Fe-SOD and Cu-SOD) showed an important role in salt tolerance in Damascus rose. In addition, 0.5 mm SA increased the activity of enzymatic and non-enzymatic systems and increased salinity tolerance. Conclusions The change in weather conditions due to global warming and increased dryness contributes to the salinization of the earth’s surface soils. Therefore, it is of particular importance to measure the threshold of tolerance of roses to salinity stress and the effect of stress-reducing substances in plants. In this context, SA has various roles such as increasing the content of pigments, preventing ethylene biosynthesis, increasing growth, and activating genes involved in stress, which modifies the negative effects of salinity stress. Also, according to the results of this research, even in the concentration of low values, positive results can be obtained from SA, so it can be recommended as a relatively cheap and available material to improve production in saline lands.

Untitled

“…The author of the study suggests that an important precursor that occurs when endogenous salicylic acid is produced are reactive oxygen species. Thus, studies by M. Omidi et al (2022) showed the levelling of the protective effects of exogenous salicylic acid as one of the antioxidants produced under the influence of certain types of abiotic stress. N. Esmaeili et al (2021) confirms this hypothesis, as the study of the effects of salicylic acid on the main energy-transforming processes of plants are the main producers of reactive oxygen species in the plant cell and are of great interest to the scientific community.…”

“…There is a large body of evidence in the available scientific data on the involvement of salicylic acid in the development of resistance to abiotic stressors. M. Omidi et al (2022) in their research refute the fact that the accumulation of salicylic acid is an indicator of the plant's response to stress. The researchers suggest that the first indicator to be considered when examining the signalling responses of plants to abiotic stress is an increase in the generation of the active form of oxygen.…”

Analysis of the Antioxidant Mechanism of Tamarix ramosissima Roots under NaCl Stress Based on Physiology, Transcriptomic and Metabolomic

“…Meanwhile, APX is able to maintain the optimal level of H 2 O 2 as a signaling molecule [ 69 ]. APX is considered to be one of the main factors in reducing free radicals such as H 2 O 2 , which can minimize plant damage caused by oxidative stress [ 70 ]. APX and GPX can also convert H 2 O 2 to H 2 O and O 2 [ 71 ].…”

In Vitro Shoot Multiplication and Rooting of ‘Kashan’ and ‘Hervy Azerbaijan’ Damask Rose (Rosa damascena Mill.) Genotypes for Cosmetic and Ornamental Applications

“…Roses are also important in the food, pharmaceutics, and medicine industries, and are available as a broad range of cultivars and genotypes in international markets [1]. Moreover, rose petals are a natural source of fragrance and essential oils, which are valuable products in the perfume industry [2,3]. The genus Rosa covers over 200 species but only a few are being used for essential oil production.…”