Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Plant Biosystems , cilt.160, sa.203, ss.1-25, 2026 (Hakemli Dergi)
Salinity is a major environmental factor that negatively affects plant growth and development, leading to yield losses. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea ’Matador’) is moderately salttolerant but sensitive to high salt concentrations. To improve plants’ tolerance to salt stress, exogenous applications of plant hormones and growth regulators are widely used. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of 24-epibrassinolide (eBL) and GR24 on the development of spinach seedlings grown under salt stress and to evaluate the roles of these compounds in stress tolerance. In this context, 10–9 M eBL and 10–8 M GR24 were applied to spinach seedlings grown in a medium containing 150 mM NaCl; the effects on morphological, anatomical, and photosynthetic parameters were examined. Root, stem, and seedling length; fresh and dry weight; leaf surface area; chlorophyll and carotenoid content; root and leaf anatomical characteristics (including stomatal index) were measured in 27-day-old harvested seedlings. Leaf micromorphological properties were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Salinity markedly reduced growth and biomass, whereas both eBL and GR24 generally mitigated these effects. Hormone treatments also modulated root and leaf anatomical traits and helped maintain photosynthetic pigments under salt stress, indicating improved physiological performance. Overall, eBL and GR24 increased the potential of spinach seedlings to tolerate saline conditions, with GR24 showing a prominent contribution to integrated root–leaf adjustments.