Foliar Application of Salicylic Acid Mitigates Saline Stress on Physiology, Production, and Post-Harvest Quality of Hydroponic Japanese Cucumber

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This article reports how salicylic acid alleviates the damage of salt stress to cucumber physiology, yield and quality. This article shows enough data, but lacks a comprehensive analysis of the data, and there are some errors in the interpretation of some data. I recommend authors to address the major comments described below:

1. In the abstract, the description of the results and conclusions is too brief. The author needs to show enough results and how to draw the main conclusions.

2. This article measured many parameters, but the author did not discuss the relationship between different parameters in depth.

3. The structure of the discussion is basically the same as the structure of the results, and there is a lack of comprehensive discussion on the data from the results. In addition, the author should explain in detail the process of how to determine the optimal SA application scope of 1.4 and 2.0 mM in the discussion.

4.In results, when several terms first appeared, there was no abbreviation, but the abbreviation appeared in figures. For example:

Page 8, Line 280: “The internal CO₂ concentration”

Page 8, Line 288: “stomatal conductance”

Page 11, Line 370 :“the initial fluorescence”

Page 11, Line 280 :“the maximum fluorescence”

5. In results, the author needs to provide more clearer figure citations. For example:

Page 13, Line 435-439: “However, it is worth noting that foliar application of salicylic acid at concentrations greater than 2.1 mM, associated with increased electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution, reduced the average fruit weight and total production per plant of cucumber, with the lowest values of AFW (276.54 g per fruit) and TPP (263.35 g per plant) in plants cultivated with ECns of 6.6 dS m^-1 and SA concentration of 5.4 mM.” This paragraph lacks figure citations.

6.Page 5, Line 180-183: “Salicylic acid concentrations were obtained by dissolution of product in 30% ethyl alcohol, prepared in each application event. To reduce the surface tension of the drops on the leaf surface, the Wil-fix adjuvant was used in the preparation of the solution at the concentration of 0.5 mL L^-1 of solution.” The author should explain whether there is the same concentration of ethanol in SA solutions of different concentrations, and whether ethanol in SA solutions will affect cucumber.

7.Page 18, Line 569-572: “The results obtained in the present study show that the increase in the electrical conductivity of the nutrient increased the initial fluorescence (Figure 7A) of cucumber plants, indicating damage to the light-harvesting complex of the photosystem II.” The author should use the decrease of maximum fluorescence rather than the increase of initial fluorescence to indicate the damage to the light-harvesting complex of photosystem II.

8.Page 18, Line 580-583: “The reduction of Fm may be an indication that there was low efficiency in quinone photoreduction and electron flow between photosystems, which results in low PSII activity in the thylakoid membrane, directly influencing the flow of electrons between the photosystems.” The decrease of maximum fluorescence reflects the decrease of maximum light energy absorbed by PSII, which cannot be used to reflect efficiency of photosynthetic electron transport. If the author wants to know more details in the photosynthetic electron transport, he should analyze the chlorophyll fluorescence curves (OJIP curves).

9.Page 18, Line 598-599: “This may be related to increased photochemical efficiency in cucumber plants sprayed with SA at concentration of 2.0 mM.” The author needs to provide some literature citations to prove the proposed explanation.

Author Response

Campina Grande, PB

Jan. 12, 2023

Reference: Agriculture 2147376 – Response to Review Report I

Dear Editor

The authors are very grateful to you and the Reviewers for the positive and constructive comments and suggestions on our manuscript entitled “Foliar Application of Salicylic Acid Mitigates Salt Stress Effects on the Physiology, Production and Post-harvest Quality of Japanese Cucumber Cultivated in Hydroponic System”. The authors would like to inform you that a thorough revision of the manuscript was made, incorporating the suggestions and adapting the text according to the comments. Attached is the revised version of the manuscript. All changes in the text are highlighted in red color.

The authors remain at your disposal for any further information and explanation.

The responses/clarifications to the issues raised by the Reviewers/Editor are presented below:

REVIEWER 1

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This article reports how salicylic acid alleviates the damage of salt stress to cucumber physiology, yield and quality. This article shows enough data, but lacks a comprehensive analysis of the data, and there are some errors in the interpretation of some data. I recommend authors to address the major comments described below:

1. In the abstract, the description of the results and conclusions is too brief. The author needs to show enough results and how to draw the main conclusions

Response:  According to the norms of Agriculture, the abstract must not contain more than 200 words, in this sense, only the main information in a well-summarized form was inserted. However, some adaptação and changes have been made in the Abstract.

2. This article measured many parameters, but the author did not discuss the relationship between different parameters in depth.

Response: Relationships between different parameters have been addressed whenever possible.

Examples:

 On page 20, between lines 644 and 648, “The reductions in the initial fluorescence before the saturation pulse and in the quantum efficiency of photosystem II in the light phase (Y_II) (Figure 8) due to the increase in the ECns observed in the present study indicates a decrease in photosynthetic activity, which corroborates the reductions observed in the CO₂ assimilation rate (Figure 5D) of plants subjected to the highest levels of ECns.”

On page 20, between lines 662 and 664, “The increase of production components observed in plants treated with SA (2.0 mM) may be associated with chlorophyll a fluorescence and gas exchange responses.”

On page 20, between lines 672 and 679, “It is worth noting that it was observed in this study that concentrations of salicylic acid above 2.1 mM intensified the effects of saline stress, causing reductions in the production components, with lower values obtained in the plants cultivated under ECns of 6.6 dS m^-1 and sprayed with a concentration of 5.4 mM salicylic acid. This result corroborates the low quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm = 0.66) and CO₂ assimilation rate (A = 19.66 µmol CO₂ m^-2 s^-1).

3. The structure of the discussion is basically the same as the structure of the results, and there is a lack of comprehensive discussion on the data from the results. In addition, the author should explain in detail the process of how to determine the optimal SA application scope of 1.4 and 2.0 mM in the discussion.

Response: The determination of the concentrations of 1.4 and 2.0 mM were estimated through the regression equations present in each response surface (Figure).

4.In results, when several terms first appeared, there was no abbreviation, but the abbreviation appeared in figures. For example:

Page 8, Line 280: “The internal CO₂ concentration”

Page 8, Line 288: “stomatal conductance”

Page 11, Line 370: “the initial fluorescence”

Page 11, Line 280: “the maximum fluorescence”

Response: Abbreviations were inserted corresponding to all terms, as suggested by the reviewer.

5. In results, the author needs to provide more clearer figure citations. For example:

Page 13, Line 435-439: “However, it is worth noting that foliar application of salicylic acid at concentrations greater than 2.1 mM, associated with increased electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution, reduced the average fruit weight and total production per plant of cucumber, with the lowest values of AFW (276.54 g per fruit) and TPP (263.35 g per plant) in plants cultivated with ECns of 6.6 dS m^-1 and SA concentration of 5.4 mM.” This paragraph lacks figure citations.

Response: The suggestion was accepted and the citations were included in the revised version of the manuscript.

6. Page 5, Line 180-183: “Salicylic acid concentrations were obtained by dissolution of product in 30% ethyl alcohol, prepared in each application event. To reduce the surface tension of the drops on the leaf surface, the Wil-fix adjuvant was used in the preparation of the solution at the concentration of 0.5 mL L^-1of solution.” The author should explain whether there is the same concentration of ethanol in SA solutions of different concentrations, and whether ethanol in SA solutions will affect cucumbe.

Response: First I would like to clarify why the use of ethyl alcohol in the preparation of solutions is necessary because salicylic acid has low solubility in water at room temperature (25 ºC). However, the amount of alcohol used in the preparation of salicylic acid concentrations is extremely small, not affecting the cucumber. It is worth mentioning that alcohol is only used in the preparation of the concentrated solution of salicylic acid.

Example: In the preparation of 100 mL of a 100 mM solution of salicylic acid, 30 mL of ethyl alcohol and 70 mL of distilled water are used. To prepare 2 liters of a salicylic acid solution at the highest concentration under study (3.6 mM), 72 mL of the concentrated solution (100 mM) is needed, which already contains 70% water, and 1,928 liters of distilled water.

7. Page 20, Line 569-572: “The results obtained in the present study show that the increase in the electrical conductivity of the nutrient increased the initial fluorescence (Figure 7A) of cucumber plants, indicating damage to the light-harvesting complex of the photosystem II.” The author should use the decrease of maximum fluorescence rather than the increase of initial fluorescence to indicate the damage to the light-harvesting complex of photosystem II.

Response:  The discussion was reformulated taking into account the reviewer's suggestion, as can be seen on page 19, between lines 610 and 616 of the revised version of the manuscript.

8.Page 18, Line 580-583: “The reduction of Fm may be an indication that there was low efficiency in quinone photoreduction and electron flow between photosystems, which results in low PSII activity in the thylakoid membrane, directly influencing the flow of electrons between the photosystems.” The decrease of maximum fluorescence reflects the decrease of maximum light energy absorbed by PSII, which cannot be used to reflect efficiency of photosynthetic electron transport. If the author wants to know more details in the photosynthetic electron transport, he should analyze the chlorophyll fluorescence curves (OJIP curves)

Response: The discussion was reformulated taking into account the reviewers' suggestion, as can be seen on page 19, between lines 617 and 627 of the revised version of the manuscript.

9.Page 18, Line 598-599: “This may be related to increased photochemical efficiency in cucumber plants sprayed with SA at concentration of 2.0 mM.” The author needs to provide some literature citations to prove the proposed explanation

Response:  Citations were included in the revised version of the manuscript, as requested.

Yours sincerely,

Geovani Soares de Lima

Corresponding author

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Manuscript Title: Foliar Application of Salicylic Acid Mitigates Salt Stress Effects on the Physiology, Production and Post-harvest Quality of Japanese Cucumber Cultivated in Hydroponic System.

Journal: Agriculture

Authors:Valeska Karolini Nunes Oliveira¹, André Alisson Rodrigues da Silva¹, Geovani Soares de Lima^1*, Lauriane Al-meida dos Anjos Soares², Hans Raj Gheyi¹, ClaudivanFeitosa de Lacerda³, Carlos Alberto Vieira de Azevedo¹, Re-ginaldo Gomes Nobre⁴, Lúcia Helena Garófalo Chaves¹, Pedro Dantas Fernandes¹, Vera Lúcia Antunes de Lima¹.

Reviewer Recommendation: Major Revision

Reviewer’s comments to Authors

·         Rephrase the abstract, mentioning analysed variables and results very concisely to make it self-contained.

·         Add past literature, describing the deleterious effects of salinity on Japanese cucumber.

·         It is strongly recommended to check and remove all the following listed irrelevant self-cited papers.

o   Mendonça, A. J.T.; Silva, A.A.R. da; Lima, G.S. de; Soares, L.A.A.; Oliveira, V.K.N.; Gheyi, H.R.; Fernandes, P.D. Salicylic acid modulates okra tolerance to salt stress in hydroponic system. Agriculture, 2022, 12, e1687. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12101687

o   Soares, M.D.M.; Dantas, M.V.; Lima, G.S. de; Oliveira, V.K.N.; Soares, L.A.A.; Gheyi, H.R.; Fernandes, P.D. Physiology and yield of ‘Gaúcho’ melon under brackish water and salicylic acid in hydroponic cultivation. Arid. Land Res. Manag. 2022, 1, 1-20.  https://doi.org/10.1080/15324982.2022.2087120

o   Silva, M.G. da.; Soares, T.M.; Gheyi, H.R.; Santos, C.C. dos; Oliveira, M.G.B. Hydroponic cultivation of coriander intercropped with rocket subjected to saline and thermal stresses in the root-zone. Rev. Ceres, 2022, 69, 148-157. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-737X202269020004.

o   Dias, A.S.; Lima, G.S. de; Silva, S.S. da; Soares, L.A.A.; Chaves, L.H.G.; Gheyi, H. R.; Lacerda, C.N.; Fernandes, P.D. Gas ex-change, photosynthetic pigments, and photochemical efficiency of sesame under salt stress and phosphate fertilization. Semin. Cienc. Agrar, 2022, 43, 1237-1256. https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2022v43n3p1237.

o   Veloso, L.L.S.A.; Silva, A.A.R.S. da; Lima, G.S. de; Azevedo, C.A.V. de; Gheyi, H.R.; Moreira, R.C.L. Growth and gas exchange of soursop under salt stress and hydrogen peroxide application. Rev. Bras. Eng. Agricola Ambient. 2022, 26, 119-125. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v26n2p119-125.

o   Lima, G.S. de; Pinheiro, F.W.A.; Gheyi, H.R.; Soares, L.A.A.; Soares, M.D.M.; Silva, F.A. da; Lima, V.L.A. Postharvest quality of sour passion fruit under irrigation strategies with brackish water and potassium application in two crop cycles. Wat. Air and Soil Poll. 2022, 233, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05922-0.

o   Bezerra, I.L.; Gheyi, H.R.; Nobre, R.G.; Lima, G.S. de; Lacerda, C.F. de; Lima, B.G F.; Bonifácio, B.F. Water salinity and nitrogen fertilization in the production and quality of guava fruits. Biosci. J. 2019, 35, 837-848. http://dx.doi.org/10.14393/BJ-v35n3a2019-42005.

o   Silva, A.A.R. da; Lima, G.S. de; Azevedo, C.A.V. de; Veloso, L.L.S.A.; Gheyi, H.R. Salicylic acid as an attenuator of salt stress in soursop. Rev. Caatinga, 2020, 33, 1092-1101. https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252020v33n424rc.

o   Lacerda, C.N. de; Lima, G.S. de; Soares, L.A.A.; Fátima, R.T. de; Gheyi, H.R.; Azevedo, C.A.V. Morphophysiology and production of guava as a function of water salinity and salicylic acid. Rev. Bras. Eng. Agricola Ambient. 2022, 26, 451-458. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v26n6p451-458.

o   Silva, A.A.R. da; Lima, G.S. de; Azevedo, C.A.V. de; Veloso, L.L.S.A.; Souza, L.P.; Fátima, R. T. de; Gheyi, H.R. Exogenous application of salicylic acid on the mitigation of salt stress in Capsicum annuum L. Ciênc. Rural, 2023, 53, e20210447. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20210447.

Abstract:

• An abstract must be fully self-contained and make sense by itself, without further reference to outside sources or to the actual paper. It is important to provide the relevance or importance of your work and the main outcomes. Due to this fact, the addition of analysed variables and results is also required which is lacking in the manuscript. Revise the abstract accordingly.
• Apart from this, the abstract isconcisely written with a short introduction of the manuscriptclearlyvalidating the objective of the paper.

Introduction:

·         The manuscript lacks information regarding the deleterious effects of salinity on Japanese cucumber and its productivity from past literature. Adding this will add to the relevance or importance of your work.

·         In line 79, add Japanese before cucumber or Hiroshi as its not cucumber but a specific variety of it.

·         The addition of some new papers from 2021-2022can enhance the current information in the field. Some of the relevant papers are recommended to add to the manuscript.

Materials and Methods:

• Please provide the full form of the abbreviation before using in the Ms. Many abbreviations used in the section are not provided with their full forms.

·         Instead of, giving a common heading to all experiment executed as analysed variables you should divide them into subheadings. It is more appropriate way of representation.

Results and Discussion:

• The discussion did not provide a specificreasons for the results. The provided explanation could have been more satisfactory also.
• The strong hypothesis, scientific facts, and validation of previous reports are missing at places. You must rewrite it and cite the recommended papers listed in the comment section of this review report.

References:

·         There are lots of statements/sentences throughout the manuscript that essentially require proper validation and citation with previous studies which are largely missing in the present manuscript. Introduction, Result, and Discussion sections poorly cited with the references and strongly recommended to update and validation with previous studies. Therefore, some of the relevant papers listed below should be considered and cited appropriately in the Introduction, Result, and Discussion sections of this Ms which will certainly upgrade and enhance the Ms. quality significantly.

o    Agnihotri, A., et al., (2018). Counteractive mechanism (s) of salicylic acid in response to lead toxicity in Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. cv. Varuna. Planta, 248(1), 49-68.

o    Gupta, S., et al., (2021). Salicylic acid alleviates chromium (VI) toxicity by restricting its uptake, improving photosynthesis and augmenting antioxidant defense in Solanum lycopersicum L. Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, 27(11), 2651-2664.

o    Yadav, M., et al., (2022). Foliar application of α-lipoic acid attenuates cadmium toxicity on photosynthetic pigments and nitrogen metabolism in Solanum lycopersicum L. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 44(11), 1-10.

Conclusion:

• Rewritethe conclusion section as it cannot emphasize the results and therefore does not support the experiment's major finding.

·         Manuscript should provide a future prospect for research in the field.It is expected that the research should connect the knowledge gap by linking it with the future potential in the field which the authors have not done. For that, it is mandatory to include future prospects in the conclusion section to strengthen and validate the results of the present experiment.

Figures and Tables:

·         The authors should write the descriptive, elaborated legends for the figures and the tables.

Author Response

Campina Grande, PB

Jan. 13, 2023

Reference: Agriculture 2147376 – Response to Review Report 2

Dear Editor

The authors are very grateful to you and the Reviewers for the positive and constructive comments and suggestions on our manuscript entitled “Foliar Application of Salicylic Acid Mitigates Salt Stress Effects on the Physiology, Production and Post-harvest Quality of Japanese Cucumber Cultivated in Hydroponic System”. The authors would like to inform you that a thorough revision of the manuscript was made, incorporating the suggestions and adapting the text according to the comments. Attached is the revised version of the manuscript. All changes made in text are highlighted in red color.

The authors remain at your disposal for any further information and explanation.

The responses/clarifications to the issues raised by the Reviewers/Editor are presented below:

REVIEWER 2

Reviewer’s comments to Authors

Rephrase the abstract, mentioning analysed variables and results very concisely to make it self-contained.

Response: According to the norms of Agriculture, the abstract must not contain more than 200 words, in this sense, only the main information in a well-summarized form was inserted. However, some adaptação and changes have been made in the Abstract.

Add past literature, describing the deleterious effects of salinity on Japanese cucumber.

Response: The information was inserted in the revised version of the manuscript, as suggested by the reviewer, as can be seen on page 2, between lines 79 and 83.

It is strongly recommended to check and remove all the following listed irrelevant self-cited papers:

• Mendonça, A. J.T.; Silva, A.A.R. da; Lima, G.S. de; Soares, L.A.A.; Oliveira, V.K.N.; Gheyi, H.R.; Fernandes, P.D. Salicylic acid modulates okra tolerance to salt stress in hydroponic system. Agriculture, 2022, 12, e1687. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12101687

• Soares, M.D.M.; Dantas, M.V.; Lima, G.S. de; Oliveira, V.K.N.; Soares, L.A.A.; Gheyi, H.R.; Fernandes, P.D. Physiology and yield of ‘Gaúcho’ melon under brackish water and salicylic acid in hydroponic cultivation. Arid. Land Res. Manag. 2022, 1, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/15324982.2022.2087120

• Silva, M.G. da.; Soares, T.M.; Gheyi, H.R.; Santos, C.C. dos; Oliveira, M.G.B. Hydroponic cultivation of coriander intercropped with rocket subjected to saline and thermal stresses in the root-zone. Rev. Ceres, 2022, 69, 148-157. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-737X202269020004.

• Dias, A.S.; Lima, G.S. de; Silva, S.S. da; Soares, L.A.A.; Chaves, L.H.G.; Gheyi, H. R.; Lacerda, C.N.; Fernandes, P.D. Gas ex-change, photosynthetic pigments, and photochemical efficiency of sesame under salt stress and phosphate fertilization. Semin. Cienc. Agrar, 2022, 43, 1237-1256. https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2022v43n3p1237.

• Veloso, L.L.S.A.; Silva, A.A.R.S. da; Lima, G.S. de; Azevedo, C.A.V. de; Gheyi, H.R.; Moreira, R.C.L. Growth and gas exchange of soursop under salt stress and hydrogen peroxide application. Rev. Bras. Eng. Agricola Ambient. 2022, 26, 119-125. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v26n2p119-125.

• Lima, G.S. de; Pinheiro, F.W.A.; Gheyi, H.R.; Soares, L.A.A.; Soares, M.D.M.; Silva, F.A. da; Lima, V.L.A. Postharvest quality of sour passion fruit under irrigation strategies with brackish water and potassium application in two crop cycles. Wat. Air and Soil Poll. 2022, 233, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05922-0.

• Bezerra, I.L.; Gheyi, H.R.; Nobre, R.G.; Lima, G.S. de; Lacerda, C.F. de; Lima, B.G F.; Bonifácio, B.F. Water salinity and nitrogen fertilization in the production and quality of guava fruits. Biosci. J. 2019, 35, 837-848. http://dx.doi.org/10.14393/BJ-v35n3a2019-42005.
• Silva, A.A.R. da; Lima, G.S. de; Azevedo, C.A.V. de; Veloso, L.L.S.A.; Gheyi, H.R. Salicylic acid as an attenuator of salt stress in soursop. Rev. Caatinga, 2020, 33, 1092-1101. https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252020v33n424rc.

• Lacerda, C.N. de; Lima, G.S. de; Soares, L.A.A.; Fátima, R.T. de; Gheyi, H.R.; Azevedo, C.A.V. Morphophysiology and production of guava as a function of water salinity and salicylic acid. Rev. Bras. Eng. Agricola Ambient. 2022, 26, 451-458. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v26n6p451-458.

• Silva, A.A.R. da; Lima, G.S. de; Azevedo, C.A.V. de; Veloso, L.L.S.A.; Souza, L.P.; Fátima, R. T. de; Gheyi, H.R. Exogenous application of salicylic acid on the mitigation of salt stress in Capsicum annuum L. Ciênc. Rural, 2023, 53, e20210447. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20210447.

Response: The authors consider references cited above are necessary for the discussion and comparison of the results obtained in this research. Furthermore, the reference by Soares et al. (2022) is extremely important, being used to justify the concentrations of salicylic acid adopted in the experiment. In this context, the authors think citation is relevant and their removal would compromise the quality of the manuscript.

Abstract:

An abstract must be fully self-contained and make sense by itself, without further reference to outside sources or to the actual paper. It is important to provide the relevance or importance of your work and the main outcomes. Due to this fact, the addition of analysed variables and results is also required which is lacking in the manuscript. Revise the abstract accordingly. Apart from this, the abstract isconcisely written with a short introduction of the manuscript clearly validating the objective of the paper.

Response: Some changes and adaptation have been made in the Abstract. As mentioned earlier, norms of the Journal permit only 200 word Abstract.

Introduction:

The manuscript lacks information regarding the deleterious effects of salinity on Japanese cucumber and its productivity from past literature. Adding this will add to the relevance or importance of your work.

Response:  As suggested by the reviewer, the information was inserted in the revised version of the manuscript, as can be seen on page 2, between lines 79 and 83.

In line 79, add Japanese before cucumber or Hiroshi as its not cucumber but a specific variety of it.

Response: The suggestion was accepted and inserted in the revised version of the manuscript.

The addition of some new papers from 2021-2022 can enhance the current information in the field. Some of the relevant papers are recommended to add to the manuscript.

Response:  After inserting the reviewers' suggestions, the introduction of the revised version of the manuscript has 80% of the citations from the last 5 years.

Materials and Methods:

Please provide the full form of the abbreviation before using in the Ms. Many abbreviations used in the section are not provided with their full forms.

Response:  A careful revision was performed of the manuscript, inserting the full nomenclature before the abbreviations, as suggested.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Instead of, giving a common heading to all experiment executed as analysed variables you should divide them into subheadings. It is more appropriate way of representation.

Response: Suggestion was accepted and inserted in the revised manuscript.

Results and Discussion:

The discussion did not provide a specific reasons for the results. The provided explanation could have been more satisfactory also.

Response: The Results and Discussion section was designed to interpret and critically analyze the results obtained in this study. Whenever possible, a link was established between what was described in the introduction, based on the available literature on the subject, and how the study was conducted to respond to the objectives or hypotheses formulated in this research. However, it must be considered that studies that address the hydroponic cultivation of Japanese cucumber under saline stress are non-existent in the literature, a fact that compromised a profound discussion.

The strong hypothesis, scientific facts, and validation of previous reports are missing at places. You must rewrite it and cite the recommended papers listed in the comment section of this review report.

Response: Recommended articles were included in the revised version of the manuscript.

References:

There are lots of statements/sentences throughout the manuscript that essentially require proper validation and citation with previous studies which are largely missing in the present manuscript. Introduction, Result, and Discussion sections poorly cited with the references and strongly recommended to update and validation with previous studies. Therefore, some of the relevant papers listed below should be considered and cited appropriately in the Introduction, Result, and Discussion sections of this Ms which will certainly upgrade and enhance the Ms. quality significantly.

• Agnihotri, A., et al., (2018). Counteractive mechanism (s) of salicylic acid in response to lead toxicity in Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. cv. Varuna. Planta, 248(1), 49-68.

• Gupta, S., et al., (2021). Salicylic acid alleviates chromium (VI) toxicity by restricting its uptake, improving photosynthesis and augmenting antioxidant defense in Solanum lycopersicum L. Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, 27(11), 2651-2664.

• Yadav, M., et al., (2022). Foliar application of α-lipoic acid attenuates cadmium toxicity on photosynthetic pigments and nitrogen metabolism in Solanum lycopersicum L. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 44(11), 1-10.

Response: The references of Agnihotri et al. (2018) and Gupta et al. (2021) have been included in the revised version of the manuscript, as suggested. The reference by Yadav et al. (2022), was not inserted, as the study delas with nitrogen metabolismo aspect not treated in the present study.

Conclusion:

Rewrite the conclusion section as it cannot emphasize the results and therefore does not support the experiment's major finding.

Manuscript should provide a future prospect for research in the field. It is expected that the research should connect the knowledge gap by linking it with the future potential in the field which the authors have not done. For that, it is mandatory to include future prospects in the conclusion section to strengthen and validate the results of the present experiment.

Response: The conclusions were reformulated in the revised version of the manuscript, taking into account the reviewers' suggestions for improvement.

Figures and Tables:

The authors should write the descriptive, elaborated legends for the figures and the tables.

Response: All tables and figures presented in the manuscript have their respective descriptive legends, as can be seen throughout the text.

Yours sincerely,

Geovani Soares de Lima

Corresponding author

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

1. Authors have self cited too many papers listed below which is inappropriate and does not required. I would suggest authors to retain two of them and rest remove in the revision. The editor and authors make sure consideration of this concern during revision of this Ms. 

• Mendonça, A. J.T.; Silva, A.A.R. da; Lima, G.S. de; Soares, L.A.A.; Oliveira, V.K.N.; Gheyi, H.R.; Fernandes, P.D. Salicylic acid modulates okra tolerance to salt stress in hydroponic system. Agriculture, 2022, 12, e1687. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12101687

• Soares, M.D.M.; Dantas, M.V.; Lima, G.S. de; Oliveira, V.K.N.; Soares, L.A.A.; Gheyi, H.R.; Fernandes, P.D. Physiology and yield of ‘Gaúcho’ melon under brackish water and salicylic acid in hydroponic cultivation. Arid. Land Res. Manag. 2022, 1, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/15324982.2022.2087120

• Silva, M.G. da.; Soares, T.M.; Gheyi, H.R.; Santos, C.C. dos; Oliveira, M.G.B. Hydroponic cultivation of coriander intercropped with rocket subjected to saline and thermal stresses in the root-zone. Rev. Ceres, 2022, 69, 148-157. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-737X202269020004.

• Dias, A.S.; Lima, G.S. de; Silva, S.S. da; Soares, L.A.A.; Chaves, L.H.G.; Gheyi, H. R.; Lacerda, C.N.; Fernandes, P.D. Gas ex-change, photosynthetic pigments, and photochemical efficiency of sesame under salt stress and phosphate fertilization. Semin. Cienc. Agrar, 2022, 43, 1237-1256. https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2022v43n3p1237.

• Veloso, L.L.S.A.; Silva, A.A.R.S. da; Lima, G.S. de; Azevedo, C.A.V. de; Gheyi, H.R.; Moreira, R.C.L. Growth and gas exchange of soursop under salt stress and hydrogen peroxide application. Rev. Bras. Eng. Agricola Ambient. 2022, 26, 119-125. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v26n2p119-125.

• Lima, G.S. de; Pinheiro, F.W.A.; Gheyi, H.R.; Soares, L.A.A.; Soares, M.D.M.; Silva, F.A. da; Lima, V.L.A. Postharvest quality of sour passion fruit under irrigation strategies with brackish water and potassium application in two crop cycles. Wat. Air and Soil Poll. 2022, 233, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05922-0.

• Bezerra, I.L.; Gheyi, H.R.; Nobre, R.G.; Lima, G.S. de; Lacerda, C.F. de; Lima, B.G F.; Bonifácio, B.F. Water salinity and nitrogen fertilization in the production and quality of guava fruits. Biosci. J. 2019, 35, 837-848. http://dx.doi.org/10.14393/BJ-v35n3a2019-42005.
• Silva, A.A.R. da; Lima, G.S. de; Azevedo, C.A.V. de; Veloso, L.L.S.A.; Gheyi, H.R. Salicylic acid as an attenuator of salt stress in soursop. Rev. Caatinga, 2020, 33, 1092-1101. https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252020v33n424rc.

• Lacerda, C.N. de; Lima, G.S. de; Soares, L.A.A.; Fátima, R.T. de; Gheyi, H.R.; Azevedo, C.A.V. Morphophysiology and production of guava as a function of water salinity and salicylic acid. Rev. Bras. Eng. Agricola Ambient. 2022, 26, 451-458. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v26n6p451-458.

• Silva, A.A.R. da; Lima, G.S. de; Azevedo, C.A.V. de; Veloso, L.L.S.A.; Souza, L.P.; Fátima, R. T. de; Gheyi, H.R. Exogenous application of salicylic acid on the mitigation of salt stress in Capsicum annuum L. Ciênc. Rural, 2023, 53, e20210447. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20210447.

2. The author should consider to incorporate the suggested paper Yadav, M., et al., (2022). Foliar application of α-lipoic acid attenuates cadmium toxicity on photosynthetic pigments and nitrogen metabolism in Solanum lycopersicum L. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 44(11), 1-10. This paper describe the stress mitigation mechanisms which is essential to make the scientific quality of this Ms up to mark. Missing this paper would affect the scientific quality of this Ms. The editor and author make sure inclusion of this point during revision of this Ms. 

Author Response

Campina Grande, PB

Jan. 19, 2023

Reference: Agriculture 2147376 – Response to Review Report 2

Dear Editor

The authors are very grateful to you and the Reviewers for the positive and constructive comments and suggestions on our manuscript entitled “Foliar Application of Salicylic Acid Mitigates Salt Stress Effects on the Physiology, Production and Post-harvest Quality of Japanese Cucumber Cultivated in Hydroponic System”. The authors would like to inform that a revision of the manuscript was made, incorporating the suggestions and adapting the text according to the comments. Attached is the revised version of the manuscript. All changes made in text are highlighted in red color.

The authors remain at your disposal for any further information and explanation.

The responses/clarifications to the issues raised by the Reviewers/Editor are presented below:

REVIEWER 2

Reviewer’s comments to Authors

1. Authors have self cited too many papers listed below which is inappropriate and does not required. I would suggest authors to retain two of them and rest remove in the revision. The editor and authors make sure consideration of this concern during revision of this Ms

Response: The suggestion was accepted in the revised version of the manuscript. To justify the information related to the experimental planning, only two references highlighted below were kept:

• Mendonça, A. J.T.; Silva, A.A.R. da; Lima, G.S. de; Soares, L.A.A.; Oliveira, V.K.N.; Gheyi, H.R.; Fernandes, P.D. Salicylic acid modulates okra tolerance to salt stress in hydroponic system. Agriculture, 2022, 12, e1687. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12101687

• Soares, M.D.M.; Dantas, M.V.; Lima, G.S. de; Oliveira, V.K.N.; Soares, L.A.A.; Gheyi, H.R.; Fernandes, P.D. Physiology and yield of ‘Gaúcho’ melon under brackish water and salicylic acid in hydroponic cultivation. Arid. Land Res. Manag. 2022, 1, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/15324982.2022.2087120

And the rest of the cited references have been removed in the revised manuscript, as suggested.

• Silva, M.G. da.; Soares, T.M.; Gheyi, H.R.; Santos, C.C. dos; Oliveira, M.G.B. Hydroponic cultivation of coriander intercropped with rocket subjected to saline and thermal stresses in the root-zone. Rev. Ceres, 2022, 69, 148-157. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-737X202269020004.

• Dias, A.S.; Lima, G.S. de; Silva, S.S. da; Soares, L.A.A.; Chaves, L.H.G.; Gheyi, H. R.; Lacerda, C.N.; Fernandes, P.D. Gas ex-change, photosynthetic pigments, and photochemical efficiency of sesame under salt stress and phosphate fertilization. Cienc. Agrar, 2022, 43, 1237-1256. https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2022v43n3p1237.

• Veloso, L.L.S.A.; Silva, A.A.R.S. da; Lima, G.S. de; Azevedo, C.A.V. de; Gheyi, H.R.; Moreira, R.C.L. Growth and gas exchange of soursop under salt stress and hydrogen peroxide application. Rev. Bras. Eng. Agricola Ambient. 2022, 26, 119-125. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v26n2p119-125.

• Lima, G.S. de; Pinheiro, F.W.A.; Gheyi, H.R.; Soares, L.A.A.; Soares, M.D.M.; Silva, F.A. da; Lima, V.L.A. Postharvest quality of sour passion fruit under irrigation strategies with brackish water and potassium application in two crop cycles. Air and Soil Poll. 2022, 233, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05922-0.

• Bezerra, I.L.; Gheyi, H.R.; Nobre, R.G.; Lima, G.S. de; Lacerda, C.F. de; Lima, B.G F.; Bonifácio, B.F. Water salinity and nitrogen fertilization in the production and quality of guava fruits. J. 2019, 35, 837-848. http://dx.doi.org/10.14393/BJ-v35n3a2019-42005.

• Silva, A.A.R. da; Lima, G.S. de; Azevedo, C.A.V. de; Veloso, L.L.S.A.; Gheyi, H.R. Salicylic acid as an attenuator of salt stress in soursop. Rev. Caatinga, 2020, 33, 1092-1101. https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252020v33n424rc.

• Lacerda, C.N. de; Lima, G.S. de; Soares, L.A.A.; Fátima, R.T. de; Gheyi, H.R.; Azevedo, C.A.V. Morphophysiology and production of guava as a function of water salinity and salicylic acid. Bras. Eng. Agricola Ambient. 2022, 26, 451-458. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v26n6p451-458.

• Silva, A.A.R. da; Lima, G.S. de; Azevedo, C.A.V. de; Veloso, L.L.S.A.; Souza, L.P.; Fátima, R. T. de; Gheyi, H.R. Exogenous application of salicylic acid on the mitigation of salt stress in Capsicum annuum L. Ciênc. Rural, 2023, 53, e20210447. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20210447.

2. The author should consider to incorporate the suggested paper Yadav, M., et al., (2022). Foliar application of α-lipoic acid attenuates cadmium toxicity on photosynthetic pigments and nitrogen metabolism in Solanum lycopersicum L. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 44(11), 1-10. This paper describe the stress mitigation mechanisms which is essential to make the scientific quality of this Ms up to mark. Missing this paper would affect the scientific quality of this Ms. The editor and author make sure inclusion of this point during revision of this Ms

Response: The recommended reference has been included in the discussion. It can be seen on page 18, between lines 551 and 552.

Yours sincerely,

Geovani Soares de Lima

Corresponding author

Author Response File: Author Response.docx