Biochemical response of Olea europaea cv. Gemlik to short-term salt stress

One-year-old olive (Olea europaea L. cv. Gemlik) seedlings were exposed to increasing levels of salinity in pot culture. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with 6 replicates. Dry matter (DM) percentage, sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) concentrations, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, reducing power (RP), total phenolic content (TPC), and proline (PRO) content were determined in the leaves of the plants. The results showed that the olive plant used physiological and biochemical mechanisms consecutively to alleviate the effects of salt stress. The type of mechanism used was related to the severity of the salt stress. Salinity-induced variation in DPPH scavenging activity correlated well with the PRO and TPC variations of the leaves. The results showed that DPPH radical scavenging activity may be evaluated as a reliable parameter to assess the ability of antioxidants to hinder salt stress in olive plants.