Exogenous application of indole-3-acetic acid to ameliorate salt induced harmful effects on four eggplants (Solanum melongena L.) varieties

Salinity is one of the significant widespread environmental stress that can limit the growth and development of plants. An experiment was conducted to find how the indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) ameliorates the effect of salinity (NaCl) on biomass production, physiological, biochemical, and yield attributes Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.). Four eggplant varieties (Signath 666, Cluster King, Black Round, and Desi) were treated with two levels of treatment with salt (Control, 80 mM NaCl) and foliar-applied indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (Control, 2 mM IAA). The experiment was designed based on three replications and an utterly random structure. Physiological, biochemical, vegetative, and yield attributes were measured during the experiment. The results revealed that salinity at 80 mM affected the physiological and biochemical parameters that inhibited growth rate and resulted in yield reduction of brinjal plants. The foliar application of IAA overcame this reduction. However, some biochemical attributes, e.g., leaf proline, leaf glycine betaine analysis, and antioxidant enzyme activities, increased under salt stress. Overall, our results demonstrated that the salt-induced harmful effect was overcome by the exogenously applied IAA and increased biomass production, physiological, biochemical, and yield attributes in brinjal varieties.