Improving Rice Yield in Saline Soils: The Role of Salicylic Acid in Mitigating Stress
Md. Ibrahim Ali
Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
M. H. Rahman
Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Tania Sarmin
Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Muhammad Maruf Husain
Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
A. B. M. Shafiul Alam
Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Md. Aktarul Islam
Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Shams-Al-Mahmud
Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Md. Nur Nobi Alam
Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Syed Tanvin Abir *
Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A field experiment was executed at a farmer's field in Saronkhola, Bagerhat, during the Boro season of the consecutive years 2023 and 2024 to examine the role of Salicylic Acid (SA) in rice adaptation to salinity stress, assess the effects of SA on the growth, yield, and yield-contributing traits of rice in saline-prone areas, and ascertain the optimal concentration of salicylic acid for enhancing rice productivity in saline environments. The application of SA has been noticed to be very effective in alleviating the adverse effects of salinity stress on rice using Binadhan-10 as the test variety. The study employed a range of SA concentrations: T0 (control), T1 (0.5 mM), T2 (1 mM), T3 (1.5 mM), T4 (2 mM), T5 (2.5 mM), T6 (3 mM), and T7 (3.5 mM). Salicylic acid was sprayed on the rice plants during the vegetative growth stage at 30 and 60 days after transplanting (DAS). Data on yield and yield components were recorded at harvest and analyzed statistically, with means compared using LSD. Results indicated that a 1.5 mM concentration of salicylic acid, applied twice during the active tillering stage and the reproductive stage, resulted in the highest statistically significant seed yield of 6.48 t ha⁻¹, followed by 2.5 mM SA, which yielded 6.27 t ha⁻¹. Additionally, the peak salinity level of the experimental field soil was recorded at 9.5 dS/m² on April 20. These findings suggest that salicylic acid can effectively enhance rice yield, particularly under saline conditions.
Keywords: Boro rice, Salicylic Acid (SA), salinity, yield