Impact of Salt stress on Morphology and Physiology of Maize Plants

Abstract

Soil salinization negatively influences crop plants worldwide. Stress conditions can defer plant development and improvement, lessen productivity, and in outrageous cases cause plant death. The biomass, morphology, homeostasis, and functioning of the plant are reduced under the influence of salt stress. High rates of the salts inside the plant tissues are toxic metabolically and can lead to a reduction in root and shoot weight, oxidative stress, production of ROS, and inhibition of photosynthesis. Maize is an important fodder crop grown worldwide. Nutritional imbalance, reduced seed germination, vegetative growth, and uptake of the nutrients have been noticed in maize crops as a result of salt accumulation. Seedling vigor, development, and stress resistance ability of the maize crop have been improved by nutritional management and an effective, simple, and receptive way known as seed priming. Soaking of seeds in water before sowing, i.e., hydropriming and use of different chemicals, i.e. osmopriming is being practiced in this regard. These seed priming methods facilitate the treated plants with resistance against salinity, early growth, vigorous plant stand, and uniform germination. So, this review paper investigates the effect of salinity on maize crops and the efficacy of osmo and hydro priming methods against abiotic stresses, especially soil salinization.