GABA and Potassium Modulates Defence Systems, Assimilation of Nitrogen and Carbon, and Yield Traits Under Salt Stress in Wheat

Salt stress cause enormous loss in crop productivity and yield around the globe, which jeopardizes agro-ecosystem, and significantly affects food production. Wheat is consumed all over the world, but is highly susceptible under salt stress conditions. In the present study, we investigated the independent and co-application of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and potassium (K) to counteract salt-induced tolerance mechanisms, growth attributes and yield traits. Both GABA and K play indispensable roles in counteracting the deleterious impacts of oxidative stress indicators with activated defense mechanisms (ascorbate-glutathione pathway and glyoxalase system), improved nitrogen and carbon assimilation, and photosynthesis-related traits in salt stressed wheat plants. Moreover, GABA and K application induced considerable changes in osmolyte concentration, stomatal dynamics, and improved yield traits under salt stress in wheat plants. Overall, current study showed the significant outcomes of co-application of GABA and K in alleviating salt stress-induced adversities in wheat, and could be manipulated for developing salt tolerant wheat plants.