Bioscience Evidence 2026, Vol.16, No.1, 1-11 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 5 decreased under salinity, with more pronounced reductions at 200~250 mM NaCl compared to the control. Leaf length, breadth, and area followed similar trends, with hydrogen peroxide providing partial mitigation, resulting in less severe declines than without it, likely due to improved osmotic regulation. The number of tassels remained relatively stable under salinity, with hydrogen peroxide having a negligible effect, indicating reproductive initiation was less impacted than vegetative growth. At the end of the experiment, root growth parameters (number and length) varied depending on hydrogen peroxide treatment and salt concentration. At 50~150 mM NaCl, plants treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) had better root development compared to those without. However, at 200~250 mM NaCl, root parameters declined more sharply without hydrogen peroxide(H2O2). 3.3 Plant biomass Salinity stress significantly reduced the vegetative biomass (fresh and dry weights of roots, stems, and leaves) of Zea mays in both hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treated (PHP) and without hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (WHP) plants, with reductions intensifying at higher NaCl concentrations (200~250 mM) as shown in Table 3. Without hydrogen peroxide, fresh and dry weights of roots, stems, and leaves decreased markedly, reflecting impaired cell division and photosynthetic efficiency due to osmotic stress and ion toxicity. For instance, at 250 mM NaCl, root dry weight was significantly lower compared to the control. In contrast, H2O2 treated plants exhibited less severe biomass reductions across all salinity levels. At 50~150 mM NaCl, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treated (PHP) sustained higher fresh and dry weights for roots, stems, and leaves compared to without hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (WHP) plants, indicating improved water retention and metabolic activity. At 250 mM NaCl, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treated (PHP) plants still showed higher biomass than without hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (WHP), though not fully restored to control levels. This suggests hydrogen peroxide mitigated salinity induced stress by enhancing antioxidant defenses and osmotic adjustment, partially preserving biomass accumulation as shown in Table 3. Table 3 Vegetative biomass of Zeamays under salinity treatments with and without Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) application Growth parameters (g) With and withoutHP Salinity treatment (mM NaCl) 0 50 100 150 200 250 Leaf fresh weight WHP 64.91±1.05a 47.60±0.81b 46.85±0.58b 39.28±1.00bc 39.65±0.29bc 30.90±5.35c PHP 61.90±3.09a 47.56±1.48b 37.50±1.59bc 46.96±1.07bc 41.13±0.78bc 44.32±0.35b Stem fresh weight WHP 142.63±1.30a 105.31±0.81b 103.30±1.45b 54.22±0.22c 38.05±1.03c 35.15±0.57c PHP 149.90±0.39a 113.56±0.82b 102.98±0.13b 61.92±0.41c 41.58±0.36d 35.03±0.38d Root fresh weight WHP 52.84±0.15a 37.94±1.50b 33.45±0.41b 24.45±0.58c 28.26±0.94c 28.13±0.43c PHP 55.13±0.57a 42.77±0.62b 43.05±0.81b 34.20±0.71c 32.62±0.81c 35.28±0.59c Leaf dry weight WHP 39.98±2.10a 32.87±1.93a 28.12±1.56bc 21.11±0.78bc 17.78±0.17c 15.41±0.16c PHP 30.16±0.49a 30.66±0.23a 29.72±0.17a 23.00±0.19b 15.92±0.11bc 15.07±0.17bc Stem dry weight WHP 72.20±0.44a 65.62±0.85b 52.10±0.53b 35.26±0.69c 31.21±1.55c 22.36±0.46d PHP 69.12±0.52a 68.03±0.50a 64.25±0.32a 57.47±1.31b 27.80±0.53c 27.75±0.21c Root dry weight WHP 33.47±0.38a 29.36±0.66b 22.27±0.18b 20.19±0.32b 24.61±0.84b 25.11±0.59b PHP 34.15±0.55a 23.25±0.41b 23.66±0.83b 25.10±1.31b 24.66±0.65b 23.23±0.42b Total biomass WHP 145.24±2.21a 128.58±2.0b 102.80±1.52c 76.63±1.16d 73.71±1.69d 62.90±0.71d PHP 133.43±0.72a 121.92±0.77ab 117.65±0.88ab 105.57±0.97ab 68.38±0.93c 65.71±0.47c Note: Values are mean ± standard error of 8 replicates (Tukey HSD test at p≤0.05). Mean with the same alphabet(s) along the row are not significantly different from each other. PHP: plus hydrogen peroxide (H2O2); WHP: without hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) 3.4 Yield parameter Salinity significantly reduced yield components, including ear number, ear length, grain number, and grain weight per plant (Table 4), with the most pronounced effects at 250 mM NaCl. Without hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (WHP), the number of grains per plant dropped from 226.25 in the control to 84.50 at 250 mM, reflecting disrupted assimilate allocation and kernel development due to salinity stress.
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