Abstract:
Salinity is one of environmental stress that could lead to plant damage. The
Homalomena sp. has a wide function such as traditional medicine and pesticide. Due
to the contribution of this species to some of medical importance, this study was
carried out to investigate the antioxidative response of Homalomena sp. under stress
condition. The objectives of this experiment were to investigate the effect of different
concentrations of NaCl on a-tocopherol, ascorbic acid and carotenoid concentration in
Homalomena sp. cultures, an aquatic plant (freshwater plant). Homalomena sp.
cultures were treated with 0, 25, 50 and 100 mM of NaCl for 28 days in Murashige
and Skoog Solid Medium. a-Tocopherol, ascorbic acid and carotenoid concentrations
were measured every 0, 1, 2, 7 14 and 28 days of treatment periods. Result showed
that, the a-tocopherol concentration in cultures treated with 50mM NaCl significantly
(p<0.05) increased after 2 days of treatment and decreased (p<0.05) afterwards. The
ascorbic acid and carotenoid concentration however showed a significant (p<0.05)
decreased after the exposure to salt treatment.
