Efficacy of Gibberellic Acid in promoting salt stress resilience in pea (Pisum sativum L.)

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of gibberellic acid on the growth, physiological, and biochemical attributes of pea plants under salt stress. Two pea cultivars were examined to determine their comparative performance in saline conditions. An experiment was conducted at the Old Botanical Garden, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, using two pea cultivars, Pea 2009 and Green Pea. Plants were grown in pots arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. Salt stress was applied using sodium chloride at two concentrations (0 and 100 millimoles), 21 days after sowing. Gibberellic acid was applied as a foliar treatment at three levels (0, 5, and 10 parts per million) fourteen days after salt application. Data on morphological and physiological traits were collected fourteen days after hormone treatment. Salt stress caused a noticeable reduction in shoot and root length, number of leaves and branches, and fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots. However, gibberellic acid significantly improved these parameters, even under salt stress. It enhanced chlorophyll content, carotenoids. Among the two cultivars, Pea 2009 exhibited better performance in both growth and stress tolerance. The application of gibberellic acid mitigated the adverse effects of salt stress in pea plants by improving morphological growth and enhancing key physiological responses. Pea 2009 showed greater resilience to salinity, making it more suitable for cultivation under saline conditions.