Effects of Putrescine Foliar Spray on Nutrient Accumulation, Physiology, and Yield of Wheat

The effects of putrescine was studied on the growth, physiology, and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) exposed to salinity stress. Foliar spray of putrescine at the rate of 0.24 g/l was made to plants grown in saline-sodic soil of the field and also to plants grown under axenic condition in pots. The foliar spray was made twice at 14 and 30 d after seed germination. Under salt stress, putrescine application decreased the Na accumulation concomitant with the increase in the accumulation of potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg). The putrescine-induced salt tolerance was mediated by the enhanced production of proline, stimulation in the activities of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase, and modulating the endogenous level of phytohormones such that increased abscisic acid (ABA) (70%), indole acetic acid (IAA), and gibberellic acid (GA) (40-50%) were produced. It is inferred that putrescine application can be a strategy to mitigate salinity stress in plants.