Salinity Influences Single Glucosinolate Content in the Halophyte Lepidium latifolium

The influence of salinity on the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites with a focus on single glucosinolates (GSLs) was investigated in Lepidium latifolium L., which is a plant species rich in antioxidants. Mature plants were subjected to 0, 15, 22.5, and 35 Practical Salinity Units (PSU) for 1–4 weeks. While phenols, flavonoids, and the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) increased with increasing salinity, the ascorbate concentration did not follow a specific pattern. The concentration of single GSLs was influenced by salinity in different ways: While the concentration of aliphatic GSLs like glucoiberin and sinigrin increased, the concentration of aromatic GSLs such as glucobrassicin decreased under salinity stress. Salinity increased the total GSL concentration significantly with sinigrin being the major contributing GSL. The exact molecular role of the different GSLs in abiotic stress defense needs further analysis.