1
Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of Biology, Payame Noor University (PNU), PO BOX 19395-3697 Tehran, Iran
10.22108/ijpb.2026.149146.1454
Abstract
Although salicylic acid (SA) is known to increase plant tolerance to either drought or high light (HL), its effectiveness under their simultaneous occurrence remains unclear. Here, we examined the impact of SA seed priming (50 ppm) on growth, oxidative status and chlorophyll a fluorescence in Zygophyllum fabago L. subjected to drought (withholding water for 20 days), HL (800 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) or their combination. All stress treatments, particularly the combined one, markedly reduced growth, whereas SA priming significantly increased shoot fresh and dry weight only under drought. Fast chlorophyll a fluorescence OJIP transients showed that drought, HL and their combination enhanced the O–J phase, whereas SA-primed plants exhibited a slight attenuation of this rise. All stress treatments reduced phenomenological energy fluxes parameters and altered quantum yield for electron transport, but SA partially restored these parameters, bringing them closer to control values. The biplot of principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that under SA+Drought, higher antioxidant enzyme and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activities, along with increased phenolic and flavonoid contents, were key drivers of protection and growth maintenance under water stress. In contrast, under HL and combined Drought+HL, SA provided little protection, as shown by higher malondialdehyde (MDA), lower catalase (CAT) activity and maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm ), and no recovery of shoot dry weight. Overall, our findings highlighted the stress-specific nature of SA-induced tolerance and emphasized the need to assess exogenous protectants under multifactorial stress to better predict their agronomic relevance.
alizade, M. , habibi, G. , sobhanian, H. and Samadi, S. (2026). Impact of salicylic acid priming on physiological, biochemical and photochemical responses of Zygophyllum fabago under drought and high light stress. Journal of Plant Biological Sciences, (), -. doi: 10.22108/ijpb.2026.149146.1454
MLA
alizade, M. , , habibi, G. , , sobhanian, H. , and Samadi, S. . "Impact of salicylic acid priming on physiological, biochemical and photochemical responses of Zygophyllum fabago under drought and high light stress", Journal of Plant Biological Sciences, , , 2026, -. doi: 10.22108/ijpb.2026.149146.1454
HARVARD
alizade, M., habibi, G., sobhanian, H., Samadi, S. (2026). 'Impact of salicylic acid priming on physiological, biochemical and photochemical responses of Zygophyllum fabago under drought and high light stress', Journal of Plant Biological Sciences, (), pp. -. doi: 10.22108/ijpb.2026.149146.1454
CHICAGO
M. alizade , G. habibi , H. sobhanian and S. Samadi, "Impact of salicylic acid priming on physiological, biochemical and photochemical responses of Zygophyllum fabago under drought and high light stress," Journal of Plant Biological Sciences, (2026): -, doi: 10.22108/ijpb.2026.149146.1454
VANCOUVER
alizade, M., habibi, G., sobhanian, H., Samadi, S. Impact of salicylic acid priming on physiological, biochemical and photochemical responses of Zygophyllum fabago under drought and high light stress. Journal of Plant Biological Sciences, 2026; (): -. doi: 10.22108/ijpb.2026.149146.1454
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