Induction of salt stress tolerance in chives by priming with H2O2 in hydroponic cultivation

The use of salt stress attenuators is considered an important tool to minimize the deleterious effects of salts. However, its application to chives (Allium schoenoprasum L.) has not been studied. This study aimed to evaluate the induction of salt stress tolerance in chives plants in relation to growth and enzymatic reactions, when subjected to different salinity levels of the nutrient solution, after acclimation of seeds with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for 24 h. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, where chives seeds were acclimated by H2O2 at concentrations of 0.0, 0.15, 0.30, 0.45 and 0.60 mmol. After germination, the plants were cultivated in hydroponic system with electrical conductivities of 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 dS m(-1). Plant height, length and number of leaves, H2O2 content, malondialdehyde and catalase (CAT) activity were evaluated in chives plants. The increase in the salinity of the nutrient solution up to 5 dS m(-1) reduced by 5.88%, 17% and 9.63% plant height, leaf length and number of leaves, respectively. It was observed that the acclimation of chives seeds with H2O2 at 0.45 mmol g(-1) fresh mass in plants that were cultivated in nutrient solution of 3.73 dS m(-1) led to maximum CAT activity, minimizing the deleterious effects of nutrient solution salinity on plant growth.