Alleviation of Salt Stress in Durum Wheat (<i>Triticum durum</i>L.) Seedlings Through the Application of Liquid Seaweed Extracts of<i>Fucus spiralis</i>

Abstract

Many research studies have shown the importance of seaweed extract (SWE) in alleviating stress damage to plants. In this study, we examined the effect of liquid SWEs made from brown seaweed, Fucus spiralis, on germination, growth, antioxidant enzymes and some biochemical attributes of durum wheat under different levels of NaCl concentrations. Application of SWE at different concentrations (5, 10, 25, and 50%) significantly enhanced seed germination and growth parameters under salt stress, especially with 25% of seaweed liquid extract. Results show that the activity of antioxidant enzymes increased with increasing the algal extract concentration to 50%. Therefore, algal treatment is proved to be an effective technique to improve the growth of wheat seedlings under salt stress conditions. This study provides important information on the identification and utilization of seaweed resources for agriculture and it is the first study to report on the uses of this macroalgae as biostimulants in agriculture.Abbreviations TG: total germination (%); SL: shoot length (cm); SFW: seedling fresh weight (g); SDW: seedling dry weight (g); TC: total carotenoids (mg/g.FW); TSP: total soluble proteins (mg/g.FW); SSC: soluble sugars content (mg/g.FW); TPC: (µg equivalent AG/mg DW); CAT: catalase (U mg−1 protein); SOD: superoxide dismutase (U mg−1 protein); APX: ascorbate peroxydase (U mg−1 protein).