Comparative Physiological and Biochemical Changes in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under Salt Stress and Recovery: Role of Antioxidant Defense and Glyoxalase Systems

Salinity toxicity and the post-stress restorative process were examined to identify the salt tolerance mechanism in tomato, with a focus on the antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems. Hydroponically grown 15 day-old tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Pusa Ruby) were treated with 150 and 250 mM NaCl for 4 days and subsequently grown in nutrient solution for a further 2 days to observe the post-stress responses. Under saline conditions, plants showed osmotic stress responses that included low leaf relative water content and high proline content. Salinity induced oxidative stress by the over-accumulation of reactive oxygen species (H2O2 and O2•−) and methylglyoxal. Salinity also impaired the non-enzymatic and enzymatic components of the antioxidant defense system. On the other hand, excessive Na+…