Influences of Various NaCl Levels on Soybean Seedlings Growth

Abstract For the sake of studying the influences of NaCl stress on soybean plants, root morphological analysis and physiological index measurement were accomplished. The findings showed that salt stress inhibited soybean development, decrease biomass and inhibit root growth, and significantly affect antioxidant enzyme activities and chlorophyll contents. High levels of NaCl triggered intracellular protective mechanisms that led to enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities to remove excess reactive oxygen species (ROS). At the same time, the levels of chlorophyll a and b and total chlorophyll in soybean leaves decreased significantly due to salt stress, which affected the photosynthesis. In addition, NaCl stress resulted in the increase of membrane lipid peroxidation level and content of malondialdehyde (MAD), which further suggested the effect of NaCl stress on the structure of soybean cell membrane. The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of salt stress on the growth of soybean seedlings, and to lay a theoretical foundation for revealing the mechanism of salt tolerance of soybean and breeding salt-tolerant varieties.