The role of gibberellic acid in alleviating salt stress in cereal crops

Salinity stress is one of the most serious problem in arid and semi-arid region of the world, which limits the growth and productivity of crop plants. Its harmful effects can be minimized by application of various chemicals mainly phytohormones i.e.-auxins, cytokinins, brassinosteroids, GA3 etc. Gibberellic acids are plant growth regulators that are also known to induce various physiological responses in plants. Gibberellic acid interacts with other hormones to regulate various metabolic processes in the plant. Application of these hormones increases the nutrient uptake, dry weight, plant height, leaf area and yield of wheat under saline condition. The alleviating effect of gibberellic acid has been shown to be through increasing the water status of the seedling and partially by sustaining protein and RNA level. In this review article, the alleviating effects of GA3 on-germination and seedling growth, leaf area, photosynthesis, chlorophyll contents, mineral nutrition, proline content under salt stress were reviewed.