The Impact of Stigmasterol on Growth, Productivity and Biochemical Response of Vicia faba L. Plants Grown Under Salt Stress

SALINITY is one of major abiotic stress that reduces the yield of a wide variety of crops. We studied the effect of different salinity levels (0, 100, 150 and 200 mmol NaCl) and the addition of stigmasterol (500 nmol) on growth, yield and biochemical composition (carbohydrates, proline, potein, phenolic compounds and inorganic cations) of Vicia faba seeds. Increasing salinity up to 200 mmol caused significant decreases in the growth and yield of V. faba. Salt stress induced the accumulation of phenolics, proline and Na+ in seeds, while the carbohydrate, total protein, K+, Ca2+ and P3+ content of seeds declined. When seeds were soaked in stigmasterol, the adverse effects of salinity were negated and significant increases were observed in growth, carbohydrates content, total protein, and cation content (K+, Ca2+ and P3+) as compared to untreated plants. Moreover, a new set of proteins was induced in the seeds of stigmasterol-treated plants, and these proteins presumably function in salt tolerance. The results indicate that stigmasterol has a positive impact on growth, yield quantity and quality of V. faba plants subjected to salt stress.