Sage ( Salvia officinalis L.) is a medicinal plant commonly used in the traditional medicine. Polyamines are reported to protect various plant species against salinity stress. The aim of the present investigation was to assess the ability of foliar spermine application to decrease the adverse effects of salinity in Salvia officinalis plants with special focus on rosmarinic and carnosic acids – sage’s active substances with pharmacological value. Salinity provoked inhibition of sage growth accompanied by loss of turgor. NaCl treatment considerably increased the concentrations of malondialdehyde, free proline and free thiol-containing compounds, but decreased the levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 ), total phenolics, rosmarinic acid, and carnosic acid. Pretreatment with spermine diminished the effects of salinity on the measured parameters and increased the content of rosmarinic and carnosic acids. The results suggest that in pot experiments the foliar application of spermine partially alleviated the negative consequences of salt stress in sage.
Key words: antioxidants, phenolic acid, polyamine, sage, salinity
Topic: BIOLOGY