Effects of foliar application of glycine betaine and chitosan on Puccinellia distans (Jacq.) Parl. subjected to salt stress

Introduction:Using brackish water for irrigation may expose turfgrasses to salinity stress.Employing the best treatments to maintain high-quality turfs under saline conditions is animportant requirement for turfgrass management.Methods:We tested the response of ahalophyte grass,Puccinellia distans, to irrigation with saline solutions and to foliarapplication of two osmoprotectants, such as glycine betaine (GB) or chitosan (CH). Plantswere grown in pots under controlled conditions and irrigated with 200 mM or 600 mM ofNaCl solutions. The response to salinity treatments and osmoprotectant application wasevaluated after 90 days by measuring leaffiring, leaf density, shoot length and biomass, rootlength, and shoot water potential.Results:Increasing salinity reduced shoot density, shootand root length, shoot water potential, and increased leaffiring and shoot solute potential at200 mM of NaCl. These effects were more pronounced at 600 mM of NaCl. Application ofGB greatly increased shoot growth traits at 200 mM of NaCl and also showed beneficialeffects on most traits at 600 mM. Application of CH showed positive effects only on leaffiring and leaf water potential at 600 mM.Conclusions:Our results show thatP. distanscantolerate high levels of salt stress, which can be best alleviated by GB treatment