Exogenous Application of Brassinosteroids Ameliorates Salt-Induced Stress in Mung Bean Seedlings

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are steroidal phytohormones that regulate multiple physiological and developmental processes. Present study was aimed to investigate the role of BR in ameliorating salt stress as measured by alterations in the levels of antioxidative enzymes and antioxidant molecules. Mung been seeds were supplemented with BR both in the presence and in the absence of NaCl and were sampled at 2, 4 and 6 days after treatments. In the seedlings subjected to salinity stress, the activities of catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase declined, while lipid peroxidation increased considerably as compared to control. The application of BR notably ameliorated the adverse effects of salt stress on the examined parameters. The results obtained from this study substantiate the role of exogenously applied BR in enhancing growth and protecting cellular integrity in stressed plants.