Salicylic acid mitigates arsenic-induced toxicity in wheat by enhancing growth and anatomical traits.

ABSTRACT: Salicylic acid (SA) is a key signaling molecule that regulates various physiological and biochemical processes in plants. This study evaluated the role of foliar-applied SA in alleviating arsenic (As) toxicity and improving the growth and anatomical traits of three wheat cultivars (Anaaj-17, Dilkash-20, and Subhani-21) under As stress. Exposure to As (300 and 500 µM) significantly reduced plant height, leaf length, fresh and dry biomass, photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a and b), relative water content, and disrupted leaf and root anatomical structures, including the lower and upper epidermis, cortex, xylem, and phloem thickness. Foliar application of SA (0.5 and 1 mM) mitigated these adverse effects, enhancing growth, chlorophyll content, and vascular and epidermal devel

SUBMITTER: Ali U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12928664 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature