Aqueous Seaweed Extract Alleviates Salinity-Induced Toxicities in Rice Plants (Oryza sativa L.) by Modulating Their Physiology and Biochemistry

Around the world, salinity a critical limiting factor in agricultural productivity. Plant growth is affected by salt stress at all stages of development. The contemporary investigation focused on Chaetomorpha antennina aqueous extracts (SWEs) to decrease the effects of salt strain on rice germination, growth, yield, and the production of key biological and biochemical characters of the rice, Oryza sativa L. (Poaceae). SWE improved the germination capacities of rice seedlings by promoting their emergence 36.27 h prior to those that had been exposed to saline stress. The creation of 79.647% longer radicles by SWE treatment on salt-stressed seeds which boosted the establishment effectiveness of seeds produced under salt stress longer radicles resulted in plants that were 64.8% taller. SWE treatment was effective in revoking the levels of protein (26.9%), phenol (35.54%), and SOD (41.3%) enzyme levels that were previously constrained by salinity stress. Additionally, SWE were also efficient in retaining 82.6% of leaf water content and enhancing the production of photosynthetic pigments affected by salt exposure earlier. The improvement in plant functionality was evident from the display of increase in tiller numbers/hill (62.36%), grain yield (58.278%), and weight (56.502%). The outcome of our research shows that SWEs protected the plants from the debarring effects of salinity by enhancing the plant functionality and yield by mechanistically enriching their physiological (germination and vegetative growth) and biochemical attributes (leaf RWC, photosynthetic pigments, protein, phenol, and SOD). Despite the increase in TSS and starch levels in rice grain exposed to salinity stress, SWE improved the grain protein content thus cumulatively enhancing rice nutrition and marketability. The current investigation reveals that the extracts of C. antennina can help alleviate rice plants from salt stress in an efficient, eco-friendly, as well as economical way.