Triadimefon induced salt stress tolerance in Withania somnifera and its relationship to antioxidant defense system

The mitigative effects of triadimefon (5 mg/L) on the germination, early seedling growth, photosynthetic pigments, non-enzymatic antioxidant contents and activities of antioxidant enzymes were studied in salt stressed (40 mM NaCl) Withania somnifera Dunal plants. Salinity stress decreased the germination percentage, early seedling growth and chlorophyll contents. Similarly it affected severely the antioxidants like ascorbic acid (AA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and α-tocopherol (α-toc) in all plant parts (root, stem and leaf). Moreover, it caused changes in the activities of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and catalase (CAT). Triadimefon partially mitigated the salinity stress by enhancing all studied parameters to a considerable extent.