scholarly journals Differential Response to Water Deficit in Chili Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Growing in Two Types of Soil Under Different Irrigation Regimes

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 381
Author(s):  
Israel Macias-Bobadilla ◽  
Marcela Vargas-Hernandez ◽  
Ramon G. Guevara-Gonzalez ◽  
Enrique Rico-Garcia ◽  
Rosalia V. Ocampo-Velazquez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Secondary Metabolism ◽  
Water Deficit ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Differential Response ◽  
Chili Pepper ◽  
Water Deficits ◽  
Irrigation Regimes ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industries ◽  
Pepper Plants

Chili pepper (Capsicum spp.) is one of the most economically important horticultural crops in the world; its production for the food and pharmaceutical industries has been increasing worldwide. The economic importance of this crop is due, in part, to the nutraceutical properties derived from its secondary metabolism. Drought is the main environmental factor that affects crop production. Nevertheless, studies involving water deficit have considered short-term responses to sharp water deficit rather than long-term acclimation processes through moderate and gradually increasing water deficits, which omitted the dynamics and profile of the secondary metabolism that are part of the plant’s defence system against this stress factor. The present study aimed to identify the different mechanisms that chili pepper plants use to cope with drought stress using a progressive decrease and increase of water availability, conditions that commonly occur for crops in open fields. Four treatments were applied as follows: gradual water deficit (GWD), initial waterlogging with gradual water deficit (IWGD), sudden water deficit with gradual recovery (SWDR), and no deficit of water (NDW). These conditions should represent a more real situation similar to that faced by plants in the agricultural environment. In order to evaluate the response mechanisms associated with these water deficits, changes in phenological variables, proline accumulation, and the gene expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured in chili pepper plants growing on land under different irrigation regimes in two contrasting soil types in areas where chili pepper plants are cultivated in central Mexico. The variables evaluated showed a differentiated response of the mechanisms in plants growing under different levels of water deficit. Given the differential response observed for the gene expression and morphological and biochemical variables studied in chili pepper plants against different water regimes, in this work, this may have implications for more efficient use of water in crops with high nutraceutical content, in addition to prospects for using products derived from secondary metabolism in the pharmaceutical industry.

scholarly journals Natural Biostimulant Attenuates Salinity Stress Effects in Chili Pepper by Remodeling Antioxidant, Ion, and Phytohormone Balances, and Augments Gene Expression

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2316
Author(s):  
Alaa I. B. Abou-Sreea ◽  
Clara R. Azzam ◽  
Sudad K. Al-Taweel ◽  
Ranya M. Abdel-Aziz ◽  
Hussein E. E. Belal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Salinity Stress ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Membrane Damage ◽  
Chili Pepper ◽  
Stress Effects ◽  
Genetic Potential ◽  
Hormonal Balance ◽  
Pepper Plants

A biostimulant is any microorganism or substance used to enhance the efficiency of nutrition, tolerance to abiotic stress and/or quality traits of crops, depending on its contents from nutrients. Plant biostimulants like honey bee (HB) and silymarin (Sm) are a strategic trend for managing stressed crops by promoting nutritional and hormonal balance, regulating osmotic protectors, antioxidants, and genetic potential, reflecting plant growth and productivity. We applied diluted honey bee (HB) and silymarin-enriched honey bee (HB- Sm) as foliar nourishment to investigate their improving influences on growth, yield, nutritional and hormonal balance, various osmoprotectant levels, different components of antioxidant system, and genetic potential of chili pepper plants grown under NaCl-salinity stress (10 dS m‒1). HB significantly promoted the examined attributes and HB-Sm conferred optimal values, including growth, productivity, K+/Na+ ratio, capsaicin, and Sm contents. The antioxidative defense components were significantly better than those obtained with HB alone. Conversely, levels of oxidative stress markers (superoxide ions and hydrogen peroxide) and parameters related to membrane damage (malondialdehyde level, stability index, ionic leakage, Na+, and Cl− contents) were significantly reduced. HB-Sm significantly affects inactive gene expression, as a natural biostimulator silencing active gene expression. SCoT primers were used as proof in salt-treated or untreated chili pepper plants. There were 41 cDNA amplicons selected by SCoT-primers. Twenty of them were EcDNA amplicons (cDNA-amplicons that enhanced their genes by one or more treatments) representing 49% of all cDNA amplicons, whereas 7 amplicons for ScDNA (whose genes were silenced in one or more treatments) represented 17%, and 14 McDNA (monomorphic cDNA-amplicons with control) amplicons were represented by 34% from all cDNA amplicons. This indicates the high effect of BH-Sm treatments in expression enhancement of some inactive genes and their silenced effect for expression of some active genes, also confirming that cDNA-SCoT markers succeeded in detection of variable gene expression patterns between the untreated and treated plants. In conclusion, HB-Sm as a natural multi-biostimulator can attenuate salt stress effects in chili pepper plants by remodeling the antioxidant defense system and ameliorating plant productivity.

scholarly journals Melatonin as Master Regulator in Plant Growth, Development and Stress Alleviator for Sustainable Agricultural Production: Current Status and Future Perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 294
Author(s):  
Khadija Nawaz ◽  
Rimsha Chaudhary ◽  
Ayesha Sarwar ◽  
Bushra Ahmad ◽  
Asma Gul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Master Regulator ◽  
Abiotic Stressors ◽  
Pathogenesis Related Protein ◽  
Growth Development

Melatonin, a multifunctional signaling molecule, is ubiquitously distributed in different parts of a plant and responsible for stimulating several physiochemical responses against adverse environmental conditions in various plant systems. Melatonin acts as an indoleamine neurotransmitter and is primarily considered as an antioxidant agent that can control reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in plants. Melatonin, being a signaling agent, induces several specific physiological responses in plants that might serve to enhance photosynthesis, growth, carbon fixation, rooting, seed germination and defense against several biotic and abiotic stressors. It also works as an important modulator of gene expression related to plant hormones such as in the metabolism of indole-3-acetic acid, cytokinin, ethylene, gibberellin and auxin carrier proteins. Additionally, the regulation of stress-specific genes and the activation of pathogenesis-related protein and antioxidant enzyme genes under stress conditions make it a more versatile molecule. Because of the diversity of action of melatonin, its role in plant growth, development, behavior and regulation of gene expression it is a plant’s master regulator. This review outlines the main functions of melatonin in the physiology, growth, development and regulation of higher plants. Its role as anti-stressor agent against various abiotic stressors, such as drought, salinity, temperatures, UV radiation and toxic chemicals, is also analyzed critically. Additionally, we have also identified many new aspects where melatonin may have possible roles in plants, for example, its function in improving the storage life and quality of fruits and vegetables, which can be useful in enhancing the environmentally friendly crop production and ensuring food safety.

Low temperature acclimation and legacy effects of summer water deficits in olive freezing resistance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia S Arias ◽  
Fabián G Scholz ◽  
Guillermo Goldstein ◽  
Sandra J Bucci
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Water Deficit ◽  
Low Temperatures ◽  
Cell Damage ◽  
Leaf Water ◽  
Leaf Nitrogen Content ◽  
Legacy Effects ◽  
Freezing Resistance ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Water Deficits

Abstract Low temperatures and drought are the main environmental factors affecting plant growth and productivity across most of the terrestrial biomes. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of water deficits before the onset of low temperatures in winter to enhance freezing resistance in olive trees. The study was carried out near the coast of Chubut, Argentina. Plants of five olive cultivars were grown out-door in pots and exposed to different water deficit treatments. We assessed leaf water relations, ice nucleation temperature (INT), cell damage (LT50), plant growth and leaf nitrogen content during summer and winter in all cultivars and across water deficit treatments. Leaf INT and LT50 decreased significantly from summer to winter within each cultivar and between treatments. We observed a trade-off between resources allocation to freezing resistance and vegetative growth, such that an improvement in resistance to sub-zero temperatures was associated to lower growth in tree height. Water deficit applied during summer increased the amount of osmotically active solutes and decreased the leaf water potentials. This type of legacy effects persists during the winter after the water deficit even when treatment was removed, because of natural rainfalls.

scholarly journals An Innovative Fog Catcher System Applied in the Andean Communities of Ecuador

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 1917-1923
Author(s):  
David V. Carrera-Villacrés ◽  
Iveth Carolina Robalino ◽  
Fabian F. Rodríguez ◽  
Washington R. Sandoval ◽  
Deysi L. Hidalgo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Water Deficit ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Water Deficits ◽  
Irrigation Water Demand ◽  
The World ◽  
Precipitation Water ◽  
Local Water

Abstract. Fog catchers have been successfully applied in several countries around the world. In Ecuador, the Galte communities in the Andean region suffer from water deficits because they are located at an altitude higher than 3500 m above sea level. Rainfall in the area is relatively low, about 600 mm per year, with high evapotranspiration of approximately 615.74 mm per year. This study aimed to install fog catchers in Galte in 2014 and 2015 to help meet the communities’ water needs. The fog catcher system was designed to satisfy the irrigation water demand for local agricultural production, mainly maize, based on estimates using the Blaney-Criddle method. Every day throughout the year, each fog catcher collected 5 to 20 L of water per m2 of catcher area. The results indicate that the fog catcher system can meet about 5% of the local water demand for agricultural production. Keywords: Ecuador, Evaporation, Evapotranspiration, Precipitation, Water deficit.

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