Improvement of salt tolerance in durum wheat by ascorbic acid application

The main objective of this study is to examine whether exogenously applied Ascorbic acid (AsA) may enhance the salt tolerance in durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf. var. Waha). Two weeks old seedling, grown in plastic pots of 1kg, were subjected to salt stress by adding 25ml of NaCl (150mm), and treated or not with the addition of ascorbic acid (0.7 mM). Two weeks after salt stress, plants were harvested and the various measures were recorded. The effects of salt stress, in the presence and absence of vitamin C, on the leaf growth, leaf area (LA) and some physiological and biochemical changes were investigated. It was established that the application of vitamin C mitigate to variable extent the adverse effect of salt stress on plant growth, may be due, in part, to increased leaf area, improved chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, enhanced proline accumulation and decreased H2O2 content. In conclusion, we can say that treatment with ascorbic acid improve salt tolerance in durum wheat through the enhancement of multiple processes.