Mitigation of salt stress by dual application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and salicylic acid

The present study sheds a new insight in examining whether arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) inoculation or salicylic acid (SA) application or their dual application could ameliorate the adverse effects of salinity on cowpea plants. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) plants were grown under three salt concentrations (0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl) with and without AMF application and sprayed with SA (0 and 0.5 mM). Results show that both 100 and 200 mM NaCl caused a significant decrease in growth parameters, but with AMF and/or SA applications this reduction decreased. Moreover, salinity reduced arbuscular frequency, but with SA application there was a significant increase. Salt stress caused a significant decrease in P and K+ uptake, but an increase in Ca2+ and Na+ ones was noticed. However, with AMF and/or SA, an increase in the uptake of these nutrients was observed except for Na+. Thus, the dual application of AMF and SA may provide a basis for developing.strategies for reducing the risks of salt stress and maintaining sustainable plant production.