Effect of Salinity and Heat Stresses on C۴H expression of medical plant Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.)

Plants respond to stress by very different and complex physiological, genetic, biochemical, cellular, and molecular processes and adapt to environmental conditions. An experiment was carried out in order to study the effect of three levels of salinity (۰, ۶۰ and ۱۲۰ mM of sodium chloride) and two levels of thermal stresses (۲۵°C and ۳۵°C) on C۴H expression of medical plant Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) in a completely randomized design with three replications. The result showed that the temperature, salinity, time, and their interaction had significant effects on changes in the levels C۴H expression at a ۱% level (P ≤ ۰.۰۱), by increasing salinity and heat stresses, the highest rate C۴H gene expression was observed at ۷۲ hours and was ۴.۶ times.