Salicylic acid exogenous application enhances durum wheat growth under water stress conditions

Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting agricultural production. This stress has negative effects on the quality, production and productivity of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.), especially in arid and semi-arid areas. This work focused on i) the effect of seed priming by salicylic acid (SA) on durum wheat germination under drought stress conditions induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG6000). Four treatments were applied (T0: PEG- , AS-; T1: PEG- , AS+; T2: PEG+, AS- ; T3: PEG+, AS+) and ii) the effect of SA foliar application on the physiological traits of durum wheat varieties conducted in rainfall condition in a semi-arid environment. Two treatments were applied (drought stress, drought stress + salicylic acid). The results showed that seed priming by SA improved the germination process and seedling growth of durum wheat under water deficit conditions. The highest values of germination percentage (76.66%), vigor index (398.12) and shoot length (5.37 cm) were recorded with SA seed priming. In field experiment, obtained results showed that the highest values of relative water content (68.50%), leaf area (28.97 cm2) and membrane stability index (86.50%) were recorded with SA foliar application. Thus, the use of SA could be recommended under water stress conditions, as a new approach in integrated drought management.