https://scialert.net American Journal of Plant Physiology en-us Science Alert Thu, 11 Jun 2026 18:11:57 +0200 Thu, 11 Jun 2026 18:14:14 +0200 RssPublisher 0.2.0 beta https://scialert.net/images/logo.gif https://scialert.net 41 233 American Journal of Plant Physiology Biotic and Abiotic Stress Tolerance Induction by Salicylic and Abscisic Acid Phytohormones in Barley Background and Objective: Unpredictable performance and short-term productivity of the newly released varieties under natural environmental conditions remains a major challenge in barley both at research and commercial production levels in Kenya. This is due to little understanding of the hormonal signalling and induction pathways under the influence of both biotic and abiotic stresses. The study was set to establish whether there is a synergistic and/or antagonistic effect of salicylic and abscisic acid phytohormones on net blotch disease, aluminium toxicity and drought stress in barley. Materials and Methods: Trait-specific barley genotypes were planted in a split-plot arrangement with phytohormone treatments as the main plot and barley genotypes as sub-plots in a completely randomized design with 3 repeated observations. The 50 μM SA, 20 μM ABA, 20 μM ABA+50 μM SA combination and double distilled water as control were supplied to each pot twice as a soil drench. Data on response to net blotch disease, aluminium toxicity and drought stress were collected and subjected to analysis of variance and descriptive statistics on genstat statistical software version 16.0. Results: Salicylic acid-enhanced tolerance to net blotch disease in a single application than when combined with abscisic acid. Contrary to disease, SA×ABA expressed a synergistic effect towards increased tolerance to aluminium toxicity and drought stress. Conclusion: Salicylic acid-enhanced tolerance to biotic stress while abscisic acid-enhanced tolerance to abiotic stress whose synergy is more expressed when combined with SA.]]> https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ajpp.2022.1.10 11 June, 2026