Methyl jasmonate mitigates salt stress and increases quality of purple basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of methyl jasmonate (MJ) in mitigating the negative effects of salt stress on purple basil. For this, plants were grown in an entirely randomized design in a 3 x 2 factorial scheme (salinity x MJ treatments), and seven replicates. Salinity levels corresponded to non-stress (irrigation water without NaCl addition), mild stress (40 mM NaCl), and severe stress (80 mM NaCl), and MJ treatments corresponded to control (0 m M- water) or 1 mM solutions, applied as leaf sprays. The growth, physiology, and post-harvest attributes of purple basil were determined. Salt stress impaired growth, photosynthetic capacity, chlorophyll content, and relative water content, while it increased electrolyte leakage ( P < 0.05). However, the application of exogenous methyl jasmonate (MJ) mitigated the effects of salt stress on growth and gas exchange in purple basil. MJ also increased chlorophyll and relative water content while decreasing electrolyte leakage. Mild and severe salt stress differentially impacted chlorophyll fluorescence, while methyl jasmonate (MJ) partially mitigated these effects. Salt stress also reduced the contents of anthocyanins, sugars, and phenolic compounds, whereas MJ increased their levels under both non-stressed and salt-stressed conditions. In conclusion, MJ alleviated the effects of mild and severe salt stress and enhanced the post-harvest quality of purple basil. (c) 2024 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.