Journal of Plant Process and Function

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Harmala (Peganum harmala L.), is a sacred plant whose medicinal properties has long been taken into consideration in ancient texts. This study aims to address whether the plant is salt-tolerant and explore its reactions to the soil salts in Iran. Therefore, after soil sampling from one of the plant’s habitats located in Kerman province and analyzing them, four types of salts including sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄), magnesium chloride (MgCl₂), and magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) were choosed. In this research 0 (as control), 200, 250, and 300 m mol per liter of the four above-mentioned salts were considered as the required treatments. For investigating the resistance of the Espand, the concentration of the photosynthetic pigments, the level of the activity of catalase enzyme, and the amount of proline, soluble proteins and carbohydrates were assessed during their vegetative stages. The data exhibited increase in the amount of Proline, proteins, and the activity of the catalase enzyme in the plants with high levels of salinity treatment, accordingly, considering the some of the responses and viability of the plants we can infer that harmala was capable of tolerating the concentration of salinity up to 300 m mol per liter of the four above-mentioned salts.
 

Keywords: Harmala (Peganum harmala L.), Proline, Salinity stress, Photosynthetic pigments, Catalase, Soluble carbohydrates, Protein content.

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