Enhancing Salt Tolerance in Tomato Plants Through PEG6000 Seed Priming: Inducing Antioxidant Activity and Mitigating Oxidative Stress

Summary

Salt stress is a major constraint to crop productivity, negatively affecting plant physiology and fruit quality. This study hypothesized that seed priming with polyethylene glycol (PEG6000) might enhance antioxidant activity by mitigating oxidative stress in Solanum lycopersicum ‘Micro-Tom’ under salt stress. Seeds primed with –1.2 MPa PEG6000 were grown in Rockwool and treated with 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mM NaCl. Primed plants showed a 32% increase in leaf potassium (K+) and a 28% decrease in sodium (Na+) accumulation compared to non-primed plants under 150 mM NaCl. Glucose, fructose, and sucrose contents increased by 25%, 22%, and 19%, respectively, in primed fruits, while citric acid decreased by 15%. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrolyte leakage were reduced by 35% and 29%, respectiv