Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Mediated Structural Integrity: Mitigating the Salinity Stress in Garland Chrysanthemum (Glebionis coronaria)

Abstract

Environmental stress is the primary challenge that severely limiting the global plant growth and productivity, with salinity posing a significant threat. This study was conducted on Glebionis coronaria due to its global medicinal and nutritional importance. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of salt stress. and the growth promoter ascorbic acid (NaCl, NaCl+ASA) on G. coronaria. Various concentrations of NaCl (0 mM, 50 mM, 100 mM, and 150 mM) were used, along with combinations of sodium chloride and ascorbic acid (0 mM, 3 mM, 6 mM, and 9 mM). Salinity had a notable diminishing impact on morphological characters such as fresh and dry and weight, shoot length, root length, as well as branch count. However, the growth promoter enhanced root and shoot length, as well as the number of branches. Anatomical parameters such as epidermal thickness, cortical thickness, xylem thickness, or phloem thickness exhibited contrasting outcomes under both salinity and the application of ascorbic acid. Foliar applications of ascorbic acid is an effective strategy to mitigate salinity stress by enhancing the morphological and anatomical integrity of G. coronoria stem, root and leaves