The effect of salt stress on lipid peroxidation and antioxidative enzyme activities in two cucumber cultivars

Abstract

The effects of salinity on possible changes of the activities of major antioxidative enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD: EC 1.15.1.1), ascorbate peroxidase (APX: EC 1.11.1.11), catalase (CAT: EC 1.11.1.6) were investigated and lipid peroxidation measured as Malondialdehyde (MDA) content in leaves of cucumber cultivars differing in salt tolerance. Two cultivars of cucumber were grown under the controlled conditions in perlit culture and irrigated with Hoagland nutrient solution for a period of 10 days. After this period seedlings were treated with 0, 50, 100 and 150 mM NaCl solutions for 14 days. Level of MDA content of Çengelköy was lower, but activities of SOD, APX and CAT were higher than in Beith Alpha.