Salt stress mitigation by calcium chloride in Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek

This work assesses the ameliorating effect of calcium chloride on sodium chloride-stressed plants of Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek. Plants were treated with solutions of 100 mM NaCl, 100 mM NaCl with 5 mM CaCl₂, or 5 mM CaCl₂. Groundwater was used for irrigation as the control. Plants were harvested randomly 30 and 50 days after sowing. NaCl and CaCl ₂-stressed plants showed reduced growth as indicated by decreased root length, stem length, total leaf area and dry weight. Proline and glycinebetaine content and the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase and catalase were increased under treatment with NaCl alone and CaCl₂ alone. When CaCl₂ was combined with NaCl, CaCl₂ altered the overall plant metabolism to ameliorate the deleterious effects of NaCl stress and increased the vegetative growth of the plants.