Hort. Sci. (Prague), X:X | DOI: 10.17221/78/2025-HORTSCI

The effect of exogenous salicylic acid on the germination and seedling growth of sweet melon (Cucumis melo L.) seeds under NaCl stressOriginal Paper

Chun Liu^1,2,3,4*, Lingyue Wang¹, Jinjin Li⁵, Yupeng Fang^1,2

¹ School of Life Science, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, Anhui, P.R. China

² Anhui Province Watermelon and Melon Biological Breeding Engineering Research Center,Huaibei, Anhui, P.R. China

³ Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Pollutant Sensitive Materials and Environmental Remediation, Huaibei, Anhui, P.R. China

⁴ State Key Laboratory of High-Effciency Production of Wheat-maize Double Cropping,Zhengzhou, HeNan, P.R. China

⁵ Library, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, Anhui, P.R. China

The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of different concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) on seed germination and seedling growth physiology of sweet melon under NaCl stress. Under salt stress, low concentrations of 0.25–0.5 mmol/L SA treatment can effectively alleviate plant salt damage and promote the germination rate of sweet melon seeds. Simultaneously, high concentrations of SA had a significant inhibitory effect on the root length, root fresh weight, and root : shoot ratio of sweet melon, but using medium concentrations (1.0 mmol/L) of SA can increase the root length and root : shoot ratio of seedlings. In addition, low concentration SA treatment can reduce the malondialdehyde (MDA) content of plants and increase the activity of peroxidase (POD). High concentrations will reduce POD activity and increase MDA content. Adding exogenous salicylic acid at different concentrations without NaCl stress can, to some extent, inhibit seedling growth, reduce plant root length, root fresh weight and other growth indicators, but can reduce MDA content, increase POD activity, and enhance plant defence ability against the outside world. Under NaCl stress, treatment with 0.25 mmol/L SA can reduce MDA content, increase POD activity, enhance plant salt resistance, and improve seed germination rate. Treatment with 1.0 mmol/L SA promoted seedling root elongation and increased root : shoot ratio. In the absence of NaCl stress, treated plants with different concentrations of SA can inhibit seedling growth to some extent.

Keywords: melon; SA; seed treatment; salt stress; seed germination; seedling development; growth and physiology

Received: June 12, 2025; Revised: January 30, 2026; Accepted: February 18, 2026; Prepublished online: July 21, 2026