*4.2. Determination of Morphological and Physiological Characters*

Vernier calipers were used to measure root length (whichever is longer) and stem length. Chlorophyll content was determined by NanoPhotometer® spectrophotometer (Implen, CA, USA) [55]; Pro content was measured using acidic-ninhydrin method [56]; estimation of soluble protein by Bradford method [57]; nitroblue tetrazolium blue (NBT) reduction method was used to determine the activity of SOD [58]; CAT activity was determined using UV absorption method [59]; POD activity was determined by guaiacol method [60]; determination of MDA content by thiobarbituric acid test (TBA) [61]. Relative water content (RWC) of leaves was measured according to the method of Tambussi E.A. et al. [62] using the formula: RWC = (FW − DW)/(turgid weight − DW) × 100%, where FW is the leaf fresh weight, DW is the leaf dry weight at 85 ◦C for 3 d, and SW is the turgid weight of leaves after soaking in water for 4 h at room temperature (approximately 25 ◦C). Physiological measurements were set up for three replicates to reduce the error.
