Abstract
The antioxidant potential of halophytes, Dichanthium annulatum and Urochondra setulosa, was examined under the influence of high salinity. These halophytes were grown in lysimeters filled with saline soil and further irrigated with saline water to maintain different salt levels of ECe 30, 40 and 50 dS m(-1) along with the one set in normal field soil without saline irrigation serving as control. The leaf samples were collected after saline irrigation and analyzed for the antioxidative enzymes i.e., Catalase (CAT), Peroxidase (POX), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), Monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), Dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) and Glutathione reductase (GR), including the ROS metabolites such as H(2)O(2) content, malondialdehyde content (MDA), ascorbic acid content and total glutathione content. The mechanism of scavenging the reactive oxygen species in both the halophytes was characterized.