Ameliorative effect of selenium on tomato plants grown under salinity stress

The ability of selenium (Se) to counteract salt inhibitory effects in crop plants, especially in tomato, is still poorly documented. In order to examine the impact of Se addition on the growth, some biochemical parameters related to osmotic adjustment and antioxidant defense of salt-stressed tomato, a two-factorial experiment was conducted in a greenhouse. The plants were supplied with NaCl (0, 25, or 50 mM) and Se (0, 5, or 10 μM), individually or simultaneously. The results showed that salinity had a deleterious impact on plant biomass and physiological parameters studied. The application of Se alleviated this adverse effect by improving the integrity of cell membranes and by increasing leaf relative water content under stress conditions. Moreover, the application of 10 μM Se significantly increased the photosynthetic pigments concentration under salt stress. Salt stress also caused an inhibition of catalase activity, but its activity was restored in the presence of Se. The free radical scavenging activity significantly increased in plants subjected to 25 mM NaCl and supplied with 5 µM Se, compared to NaCl-alone treatment. Both physiological and biochemical results indicate that 10 µM Se treatment can increase plant performance under salt stress, especially under high NaCl concentration.