Effects of foliar-spraying nitric oxide on the carbon metabolism enzymes activities and nutrients in leaves and roots of Reaumuria soongorica (pall.) maxim seedlings under NaCl stress

•300 mmol L−1 NaCl alone inhibited carbon metabolism, while sodium nitroprusside (SNP) as Nitric oxide donor promoted the adaptation of R. soongorica to NaCl stress.•The best treatment for alleviating NaCl stress is 0.10 mmol L−1 SNP.•SNP ability to alleviate NaCl stress in R. soongorica can be assessed using soluble sugar content, sucrose content, neutral invertase, and invertase activities.