Bioscience Evidence 2026, Vol.16, No.1, 1-11 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 7 treated plants preserved higher chlorophyll content across all salinity levels, supporting sustained photosynthetic capacity and contributing to better grain quality. Table 5 Grain nutritional and proximate compositions of Zea mays under salinity treatments with and without hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) application Proximate (%) and nutritional (mg/kg) composition With and withoutHP Salinity treatment (mM NaCl) 0 50 100 150 200 250 Moisture WHP 7.11±0.11a 7.82±0.22a 8.14±0.11a 8.83±0.28a 8.03±0.55a 8.74±0.27a PHP 7.10±0.10a 8.87±0.34a 8.01±0.18a 8.82±0.18a 9.39±0.02a 9.84±0.28a Fat WHP 1.88±0.13a 1.83±0.03a 2.04±0.08a 2.02±0.02a 1.82±0.06a 1.74±0.05a PHP 1.78±0.11a 1.75±0.06a 1.58±0.02a 1.83±0.19a 1.89±0.02a 2.41±0.11b Ash WHP 3.22±0.22a 4.94±0.07a 2.79±1.59a 4.20±0.21a 3.76±0.18a 4.06±0.05a PHP 3.22±0.27a 3.91±0.11a 3.77±0.17a 4.14±0.12a 3.73±0.13a 3.89±0.21a Crude fibre WHP 3.40±0.01b 2.48±0.23a 2.92±0.09ab 2.55±0.26ab 3.08±0.07ab 2.74±0.09ab PHP 2.99±0.02a 2.83±0.08a 2.97±0.04a 2.21±0.23a 2.67±0.08a 2.80±0.23a Crude protein WHP 15.14±0.58b 11.21±0.23ab 11.50±0.51ab 10.36±0.38ab 12.48±0.31ab 13.44±0.57ab PHP 15.17±0.58a 12.24±0.24b 13.50±0.51b 10.96±0.01b 14.50±0.63b 14.31±0.34b Carbohydrate WHP 69.26±0.81a 71.72±0.12a 72.61±0.97a 72.03±0.55a 70.83±1.03a 69.28±0.65a PHP 69.29±0.83a 70.40±0.56a 70.17±0.14a 72.03±0.26a 67.82±0.79a 66.76±0.07a Nitrogen (N) WHP 5.07±0.01a 3.80±0.15b 3.90±0.20b 3.52±0.00b 4.25±0.02ab 4.28±0.10ab PHP 5.10±0.00a 4.15±0.00a 4.58±0.01a 3.72±0.02a 4.92±0.02a 4.85±0.02a Potassium (k) WHP 329.80±0.30a 331.50±0.60a 328.15±0.25a 329.80±0.30a 331.50±0.60a 328.15±0.25a PHP 329.80±0.30a 335.05±0.45a 336.50±0.30a 339.95±0.35a 342.80±0.30a 333.50±0.20a Calcium (Ca) WHP 10.45±0.25a 11.05±0.65a 11.00±0.10a 11.45±0.25a 12.05±0.35a 12.50±0.40a PHP 10.47±0.25a 5.50±0.30ab 7.80±0.30ab 10.30±0.10a 11.15±0.75a 12.70±0.20a Phosphorus (P) WHP 318.45±0.05a 320.45±0.05a 317.15±0.25a 318.45±0.05a 320.45±0.05a 317.15±0.25a PHP 316.55±0.05a 318.15±0.05a 316.15±0.25a 322.80±0.30a 320.85±0.25a 318.75±0.15a Note: Values are mean ± standard error of 8 replicates (Tukey HSD test at p≤0.05). Mean with the same alphabet(s) along the column are not significantly different from each other. PHP: plus hydrogen peroxide (H2O2); WHP: without hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) Overall, hydrogen peroxide application consistently reduced the adverse effects of salinity on Zea mays by approximately 10%~20% across biomass, yield, and nutritional/proximate composition metrics, particularly at moderate salinity levels. However, under severe stress (250 mM NaCl), mitigation was partial, indicating that while hydrogen peroxide enhances resilience, it does not fully counteract extreme salinity effects. 4 Discussion The results of this study clearly show that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) serves as an effective agent in reducing the harmful impacts of salinity stress on Zea mays (maize). This aligns well with the established understanding that HP functions as a key signaling molecule in plants’ responses to various abiotic stresses. At low concentrations, HP acts not as a damaging oxidant but as a regulator that triggers protective mechanisms, such as activating antioxidant systems, modulating gene expression, and facilitating cellular acclimation to adverse conditions like high salt levels. One prominent benefit observed from this experiment was H2O2 capacity to lessen the salinity induced decline in plant height. Specifically, plants treated with HP reached an average height of 123.52 cm under 250 mM NaCl stress, in contrast to only 112.19 cm in untreated stressed plants. This improvement reflects H2O2 contributions to processes like osmotic adjustment where plants accumulate compatible solutes to maintain cell turgor and enhanced scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which otherwise accumulate excessively under salt stress and cause cellular damage. Such effects are supported by prior research demonstrating H2O2 involvement in these protective pathways in plants facing osmotic challenges (Qureshi et al., 2022; Zulfiqar et al., 2022).
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