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Scientia Horticulturae
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Abstract: |
Pumpkin seed protein hydrolysate (PH) is a biostimulant product that contains high antioxidant activities,
peptides and amino acids. This biostimulant is able to improve plant tolerance to abiotic stresses, including
salinity. A pot experiment was conducted during summer season of 2018, with the aim of determining growth
and productivity, physio-biochemical attributes, and antioxidant system components in salt (3.9 or 7.8 dS m−1
using NaCl)-stressed Phaseolus vulgaris plants treated with PH (1000 or 2000 μL L‒1). Salt stress was applied in
irrigation water, and PH was applied three times as foliar application. Under 7.8 dS m−1, Na+ content was
significantly increased, however, PH application at 1000 or 2000 μL L‒1 reduced it by 11 or 13%, respectively.
The negative impacts of salinity on essential nutrients (e.g., N, P, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+) contents, leaf photosynthetic pigments contents, and tissue health (in terms of relative water content, membrane stability index, and
excised leaf water retention) were considerably mitigated by PH application. Increase in malondialdehyde
(MDA) content was associated by increases in proline, soluble sugars, and glutathione contents, and antioxidant
enzyme activities under salt stress, however, PH application further improved these parameters along with a
worthy reduction in MDA content in salt-stressed plants. PH can maintain plant anatomical features, growth and
yield measurements, which were disrupted by salt stress. Results of this study recommend the use of PH as foliar
application, especially at 2000 μL L‒1 to obtain satisfactory growth and yield of Phaseolus vulgaris plants grown
under salt stress up to 7.8 dS m−1.
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