Effect of exogenous application of ascorbic acid on antioxidant enzyme activities, proline contents, and growth parameters of Saccharum spp. hybrid cv. HSF-240 under salt stress

The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of exogenous application of ascorbic acid (AA) through different modes on growth and associated biochemical parameters in Saccharum spp. hybrid cv. HSF-240, under salt stress. In a pot experiment, AA was applied through irrigation or foliar-spray at the concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, and 1 mM with or without 100 mM NaCl concentration. Vegetative growth measurements, antioxidant enzyme activities (POD and SOD), and protein and proline contents of plants were recorded to study the effects of these treatments. The presence of salt reduced the growth of sugarcane plants. The AA application not only mitigated the inhibitory effects of salt stress but also induced a stimulatory effect on all the studied growth parameters. The activities of antioxidant enzymes (POD and SOD) as well as proline contents of plants were increased, although the protein contents were decreased after AA application. The exogenous application of AA through either way significantly alleviated the adverse effects of salinity on growth and biochemical parameters of sugarcane plants. However, in this study, the AA application through irrigation proved to be a better option in mitigating the adverse effects of salinity.