Jasmonic acid enhances the resistance of potato plants in vitro to salt stress

The protective effect of jasmonic acid (JA) was evaluated under stress (100 mM NaCl) condition. The investigations were carried on potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L.) of the mid-season variety Lugovskoy. Plant-regenerants were grafted and cultured in test tubes on modified Murashige-Skoog agar medium in the absence (control) or in the presence of JA at concentrations of 0.001; 0.1 and 10 M under optimal growing conditions or with the addition of NaCl. After 28 days of cultivation, growth (length of stem and root, number of tiers and leaves, plant mass) and physiological (proline content and photosynthetic pigments, determination of the osmotic potential of cell exudate) of the plants were assessed. For the first time it has been shown that jasmonic acid (0.1 and 10 M) manifests a pronounced protective effect on potato plants under salt stress condition. The protective effect based on the partial removal of the salt negative effect on the main photosynthetic pigments and the maintenance of the osmotic status of cell contents during salinization.