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Salicylic Acid - A Versatile Plant Growth Regulator pp 65–76Cite as

Foliar Applications of Salicylic Acid for Improving Crop Tolerance to Drought Stress: A Review

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Abstract

Salicylic acid (SA) is a multifaceted plant growth modulator that is reported to engage in plant reaction to stresses. Drought is a common environmental constraint of crop growth, influencing global agricultural productivity. Foliar applications of SA have been recorded to improve growth under drought stress in major crops such as cereals (wheat, barley, maize, and rice), oilseed crops (sunflower, safflower, sesame, and flax), legumes (beans, mungbeans, and crown vetch), vegetable crops (cucumber, okra, Chinese cabbage, fennel, and strawberry), medicinal plants (basil and black cumin), some ornamental and non-woody fruit plants, along with other herbs. Foliar applications of SA can reduce the toxic effects of oxidative stress provoked by drought through different mechanisms. First, SA may act by boosting osmolytes, including total soluble sugars and proline, thus maintaining the water status of plants under drought stress. Second, SA may act by improving the enzymatic activity of peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase (common antioxidant enzymes) often manifested with lower levels of lipid peroxidation, lipoxygenase activity, and H2O2 production. Third, SA may act by maintaining the total chlorophyll content of plants, thus preserving the photosynthetic apparatus of plants. Low concentrations of SA are generally beneficial, but high concentrations can be either detrimental or of no benefit. Recent reports on the improvement of crop tolerance to drought stress with foliar or applications of SA and proposed metabolic pathways for induced tolerance by SA treatments are reviewed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Development, Democritus University of Thrace, Orestiada, Greece

    Christos A. Damalas & Spyridon D. Koutroubas

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  1. Christos A. Damalas
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  2. Spyridon D. Koutroubas
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Correspondence to Christos A. Damalas .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India

    Shamsul Hayat

  2. Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India

    Husna Siddiqui

  3. Department of Agricultural Development, Democritus University of Thrace, Orestiada, Greece

    Christos A. Damalas

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Damalas, C.A., Koutroubas, S.D. (2021). Foliar Applications of Salicylic Acid for Improving Crop Tolerance to Drought Stress: A Review. In: Hayat, S., Siddiqui, H., Damalas, C.A. (eds) Salicylic Acid - A Versatile Plant Growth Regulator. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79229-9_5

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