Methyl jasmonate alleviated salinity stress in soybean

We studied the role of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) in alleviating NaCl-induced salt stress on soybean growth and development in hydroponics medium. Soybean seedlings were exposed to 60 mM NaCl stress for 2 weeks, 24 h after the application of 20 and 30 μM MeJA. NaCl stress induced a significant reduction in plant growth, endogenous bioactive gibberellin (GA4), photosynthesis and transpiration rate, while a marked increase in the endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) and proline contents were recorded. MeJA application greatly mitigated the adverse effects of NaCl on soybean growth and endogenous hormones. MeJA significantly increased ABA levels, while the endogenous amount of GA4 was reduced by the application of NaCl. Our study revealed that MeJA counteracted the negative effects of NaCl stress on plant growth, chlorophyll content, leaf photosynthetic rate, leaf transpiration rate, and proline content.