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• Exogenous application of H 2 O 2 and H 2 S alleviated the adverse effects of salt stress. • Application of H 2 O 2 and H 2 S increased N and K while reducing Na content. • Spraying of H 2 O 2 and H 2 S increased yield and yield components of stressed plants. • Plants sprayed with H 2 O 2 showed the highest SOD, POX, and CAT activities, while plants sprayed with H 2 S showed the highest APX activity. • Chlorophyll (a and b) and carotenoids increased significantly in plants sprayed with H 2 S compared to those sprayed with H 2 O 2. Salt stress is one of the most damaging abiotic stresses and is likely to worsen in arid and semi-arid regions under climate change, limiting plant production and reducing crop yields. This study was conducted in an open field in the desert under a saline environment, saline soil (9.68 dS.m−1) and saline irrigation water (7.12 dS.m−1), to evaluate the protective effects of H 2 O 2 and H 2 S on broccoli, two levels of H 2 O 2 (1, and 2 mmol. L−1), and two levels of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), H 2 S donor (0.1 and 0.2 mmol. L−1). Foliar application of either H 2 O 2 or H 2 S was effective in mitigating the adverse effects of salt stress on growth and yield of broccoli. Chlorophyll (a and b), carotenoids, and APX were significantly increased in plants sprayed with H 2 S compared to those sprayed with H 2 O 2 , while SOD, POX, and CAT activities were greater in plants sprayed with H 2 O 2. The largest decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA), H 2 O 2 , and Na accumulation was observed in plants treated with 0.2 mmol. L−1 H 2 S. Broccoli yield, nutritional content, and cell membrane stability index (CMSI) were increased with foliar treatments, all foliar treatments yielded larger and heavier broccoli heads than untreated plants. However, plants sprayed with 0.2 mmol. L−1 H 2 S showed the most promising results, significantly enhancing broccoli yield parameters in terms of head fresh weight (24.5%), head dry weight (19.2%), and head diameter (17.7%), and nutritional content such as vitamin C (16.8%) and total soluble solids (9.9%), as well as, leaf nutrient content in terms of N (21.2%) and K (15.6%), with decreasing sodium content by 20.3%. The results suggest that foliar spraying of H 2 O 2 and H 2 S could be an effective physiological method to mitigate abiotic stress and improve plant growth and yield. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of foliar treatment with jasmonic acid at 0.5 mM (JA) and biochar (15 ton ha−1) as a soil amendment for the faba bean (Vicia faba L. Sakha 4) was studied under salinity conditions. Salt stress led to a significant decrease in leaf numbers, leaf areas and plants, chlorophyll content, relative water content, and yield parameters. In contrast, reactive oxygen species, the proline concentration, level of malondialdehyde, and amount of electrolyte leakage were noticeably increased during both seasons under salt levels of 1500 and 3000 ppm sodium chloride (NaCl). Also, enzyme activities (i.e., of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and glutathione reductase) were increased, especially under a high level of salinity stress (3000 ppm). Application of biochar, jasmonic acid, or biochar + jasmonic acid significantly reduced the catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione reductase activities in salt-stressed plants to values approaching those of the control (unstressed) plants, especially under 1500 ppm of NaCl stress. Biochar and jasmonic acid treatments mitigated the damaging effects of salinity and improved the plant status as indicated by the plant height, leaf area, relative water content, and chlorophyll a and b concentrations. Moreover, biochar and jasmonic acid treatments of the salt-stressed plants enhanced plant productivity, number of flowers, number of seeds per plant, and weight of 100 seeds during two successive seasons. Overall, this study suggests that biochar or jasmonic acid treatments might be promising for mitigating the detrimental impact of salt stress on faba beans. • Saline irrigation becomes an essential practice to sustain food production. • Faba bean is the main source of protein in the Mediterranean Sea region • Application of Jasmonic acid (JA) showed a promising role in the salinity stress tolerance. • Biochar as a soil amendment proved to reduce salinity stress. • Combination of JA and biochar led to improved soil properties and crop production under salinity stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]