ASSESSMENT OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE POTENTIAL IN MITIGATING SALINITY STRESS ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF ZEA MAYS (L.) - MAIZE

Salt stress is one of the major limitations of seed germination, plant growth, productivity and nutritional composition. Hydrogen peroxide (HP) functions as a signaling molecule that modulates physiological and biochemical processes under abiotic stress. Therefore, this research was conducted to assess the potential of HP in mitigating the adverse effects of salinity stress on the growth and yield of Zea mays (L.). The experiment was conducted in a screenhouse using 96 pots each filled with 14 kg topsoil and arranged in a completely randomized design with eight replicates per treatment. Maize seedlings raised were grouped into two: Group A irrigated with sodium chloride (NaCl) solution and supplemented with 50 ml of 3% HP, and Group B irrigated with NaCl solution only (without HP). Salinity treatments were applied at 0 (control), 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 mM NaCl three times per week and flushed once per week to prevent salt accumulation. Growth, yield, biomass, leaf chlorophyll as well as grain nutritional composition were assessed following standard procedures, and data were analyzed using One-Way Analysis of Variance at p = 0.05. Plant height declined from 160.76 cm in the control to 112.19 cm at 250 mM NaCl without HP, while HP-treated plants at the same salinity decreased to only 123.52 cm. However, other growth parameters were not significantly enhanced by HP. Effect of salinity on number of grains per plant was positively influenced by HP as salinity decreased it from 226.25 to 84.50 without HP, but HP-treated plants maintained up to 88.12 per plant at 250 mM. Salinity treatments devoid of HP had protein reduced from 15.14% to 13.44%, fat from 1.88% to 1.74%, and crude fibre from 3.40% to 2.74%. However, salinity with HP treatment sustained higher values (14.31%, 2.41%, and 2.80%, respectively). This study demonstrates that hydrogen peroxide can mitigate salinity-induced stress on growth and productivity in maize, supporting its potential role as a stress modulator in crop production under saline conditions.