Soil applied propiconazole alleviates the impact of salinity on Catharanthus roseus by improving antioxidant status

An investigation was carried out to estimate the salt stress ameliorative effect of propiconazole (a triazole group of fungicide cum plant growth regulator) on the NaCl stressed Catharanthus roseus. The experiment was conducted in pots. All the pots were irrigated to the field capacity with ground water up to 30 days after sowing (DAS). The treatments were given as 80 mM NaCl, 80 mM NaCl + 20 mg l^-1 propiconazole and 20 mg l^-1 propiconazole alone on 30, 50 and 70 DAS. The samples were collected on 60 and 80 DAS. NaCl stress inhibited the root and stem length, total leaf area, fresh and dry weight, and antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities. Plants treated with NaCl with propiconazole increased these parameters to a larger extent when compared to NaCl stressed plants. The propiconazole treatment increased the root length, fresh and dry weight, and SOD, POX and PPO activities, but decreased the stem length and leaf area when compared to control. The results showed that the propiconazole could significantly ameliorate the effect of NaCl stress in Catharanthus roseus.