Journal of Soil and Plant Interactions

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of jasmonic acid (JA) and silica nanoparticles (SNA) on some physio-biochemical traits of strawberry cv. Parus. Three levels of JA (0, 0.25 and 0.5 mM) and three levels of SNA (0, 1, and 2 mM) incorporated in the nutrient solution plus two sodium chloride treatments (0 and 50 mM) were tested. The experimental factors were set up according to a completely randomized design with three replications. Traits measured included content of photosynthetic pigments (PHPs), proline, total soluble carbohydrates (TSC), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), total soluble proteins (TSP), the level of membrane stability index (MSI), relative water content (RWC), peroxidase (POD) and enzyme activities. Results showed that the highest RWC, MSI and TSC were obtained at 0.5 mM JA and 2 mM SNA treatments under control salinity, while these traits were the lowest under salinity stress with no treatment application. The application of 0.5 mM JA and 2 mM SNA increased RWC and TSP under salinity up to %47.5. The K absorption was decreased significantly under salt stress (%48.4), while the Na uptake increased by %54.6. The JA at 0.25 and 0.5 mM decreased Na absorption by %35.2 and %42.3, respectively. On the other hand, the activity of POD was directly correlated with silicon nanoparticles concentrations. The JA and SNA alleviated the deleterious effect of salinity on PHPs. In general, the implementation of JA and SNAs could improve physiological traits under both salinity stress and non-stress conditions as the best results were obtained at higher application of JA and SNA.