Seed Treatment with α-Tocopherol Regulates Growth and Key Physio-Biochemical Attributes in Carrot (Daucus carota L.) Plants under Water Limited Regimes

The influence of seed priming with varying levels (50 and 100 mg L−1) of alpha-tocopherol (Toc) was investigated in carrot plants under water-deficit conditions. For this purpose, two cultivars of carrot, DC4 and DC90, were selected and subjected to well-watered (100% field capacity (FC)) and water-deficit stress (50% FC). After 21 days of water-deficit conditions, a significant suppression was observed in shoot and root fresh and dry weights, their lengths, chlorophyll a, b and total contents, and total soluble proteins (TSP). However, an up-regulatory effect of water stress was observed on the concentrations of glycinebetaine (GB), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), ascorbic acid (AsA), total phenolics as well as the activities of catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) enzymes. Exogenous application of alpha-tocopherol was effective in reducing the accumulation of H2O2 and MDA contents and improving all growth attributes, contents of chlorophyll, proline, GB, AsA, total phenolics, TSP, and the activities of CAT and POD enzymes. Of both carrot cultivars, cv. DC4 had better performance in terms of growth attributes, whereas the response of the two cultivars was similar in all other attributes varying water regimes. Overall, it is suggested that seed priming with 100 mg L−1 Toc was effective in improving plant growth attributes, osmoprotectants and the oxidative defense system of carrot plants under water-deficit conditions.

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Sugar beet extract rich in glycine betaine modulates oxidative defense system and key physiological characteristics of maize under water-deficit stress

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0254906 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (11) ◽

pp. e0254906

Author(s):

Sidra Shafiq ◽

Nudrat Aisha Akram ◽

Muhammad Ashraf ◽

Mohammad S. AL-Harbi ◽

Bassem N. Samra

Keyword(s):

Water Stress ◽

Sugar Beet ◽

Water Deficit ◽

Total Phenolics ◽

Field Capacity ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Water Deficit Stress ◽

Chlorophyll Pigments ◽

Maize Varieties ◽

Maize Plants

Now-a-days, plant-based extracts, as a cheap source of growth activators, are being widely used to treat plants grown under extreme climatic conditions. So, a trial was conducted to assess the response of two maize (Zea mays L.) varieties, Sadaf (drought tolerant) and Sultan (drought sensitive) to foliar-applied sugar beet extract (SBE) under varying water-deficit conditions. Different SBE (control, 1%, 2%, 3% & 4%) levels were used in this study, and plants were exposed to water-deficit [(75% and 60% of field capacity (FC)] and control (100% FC) conditions. It was observed that root and shoot dry weights (growth), total soluble proteins, RWC-relative water contents, total phenolics, chlorophyll pigments and leaf area per plant decreased under different water stress regimes. While, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), RMP-relative membrane permeability, H2O2-hydrogen peroxide and the activities of antioxidant enzymes [CAT-catalase, POD-peroxidase and SOD-superoxide dismutase] were found to be improved in water stress affected maize plants. Exogenous application of varying levels of SBE ameliorated the negative effects of water-deficit stress by enhancing the growth attributes, photosynthetic pigments, RWC, proline, glycinebetaine (GB), activities of POD and CAT enzymes and levels of total phenolics, whereas it reduced the lipid peroxidation in both maize varieties under varying water stress levels. It was noted that 3% and 4% levels of SBE were more effective than the other levels used in enhancing the growth as well as other characteristics of the maize varieties. Overall, the sugar beet extract proved to be beneficial for improving growth and metabolism of maize plants exposed to water stress.

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Exogenously Applied Ascorbic Acid-Mediated Changes in Osmoprotection and Oxidative Defense System Enhanced Water Stress Tolerance in Different Cultivars of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorious L.)

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants9010104 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 104 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Farooq ◽

Bukhari ◽

Akram ◽

Ashraf ◽

Wijaya ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ascorbic Acid ◽

Water Stress ◽

Water Deficit ◽

Total Phenolics ◽

Field Capacity ◽

Soluble Proteins ◽

Defense System ◽

Oxidative Defense ◽

Chlorophyll Contents ◽

Water Stress Tolerance

The present study was conducted to examine the effect of exogenously applied ascorbic acid (AsA) on osmoprotectants and the oxidative defense system in four cultivars (16171, 16183, 16207 and 16246) of safflower under well-watered and water deficit conditions. Water stress (60% field capacity) significantly decreased the shoot and root fresh and dry weights, shoot and root lengths and chlorophyll contents in all four safflower cultivars, while it increased the leaf free proline, total phenolics, total soluble proteins, hydrogen peroxide content and activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase enzymes. Foliar-applied (100 mg L−1 and 150 mg L−1) ascorbic acid caused a marked improvement in shoot and root fresh and dry weights, plant height, chlorophyll and AsA contents as well as the activity of peroxidase (POD) enzyme particularly under water deficit conditions. It also increased the accumulation of leaf proline, total phenolics, total soluble proteins and glycine betaine (GB) content in all four cultivars. Exogenously applied AsA lowered the contents of MDA and H2O2, and the activities of CAT and SOD enzymes. Overall, exogenously applied AsA had a positive effect on the growth of safflower plants under water deficit conditions which could be related to AsA-induced enhanced osmoprotection and regulation of antioxidant defense system.

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Mycorrhizal Fungi Inoculation Improves Capparis spinosa’s Yield, Nutrient Uptake and Photosynthetic Efficiency under Water Deficit

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy12010149 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 149

Author(s):

Mohammed Bouskout ◽

Mohammed Bourhia ◽

Mohamed Najib Al Feddy ◽

Hanane Dounas ◽

Ahmad Mohammad Salamatullah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Uptake ◽

Water Deficit ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Photosynthetic Efficiency ◽

Photochemical Efficiency ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Field Capacity ◽

Water Deficit Stress ◽

Capparis Spinosa ◽

Agricultural Yields

Agricultural yields are under constant jeopardy as climate change and abiotic pressures spread worldwide. Using rhizospheric microbes as biostimulants/biofertilizers is one of the best ways to improve agro-agriculture in the face of these things. The purpose of this experiment was to investigate whether a native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculum (AMF-complex) might improve caper (Capparis spinosa) seedlings’ nutritional status, their morphological/growth performance and photosynthetic efficiency under water-deficit stress (WDS). Thus, caper plantlets inoculated with or without an AMF complex (+AMF and −AMF, respectively) were grown under three gradually increasing WDS regimes, i.e., 75, 50 and 25% of field capacity (FC). Overall, measurements of morphological traits, biomass production and nutrient uptake (particularly P, K+, Mg2+, Fe2+ and Zn2+) showed that mycorrhizal fungi inoculation increased these variables significantly, notably in moderate and severe WDS conditions. The increased WDS levels reduced the photochemical efficiency indices (Fv/Fm and Fv/Fo) in −AMF plants, while AMF-complex application significantly augmented these parameters. Furthermore, the photosynthetic pigments content was substantially higher in +AMF seedlings than −AMF controls at all the WDS levels. Favorably, at 25% FC, AMF-colonized plants produce approximately twice as many carotenoids as non-colonized ones. In conclusion, AMF inoculation seems to be a powerful eco-engineering strategy for improving the caper seedling growth rate and drought tolerance in harsh environments.

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Multivariate associations of flavonoid and biomass accumulation in white clover (Trifolium repens) under drought

Functional Plant Biology ◽

10.1071/fp11193 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 167 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Wouter L. Ballizany ◽

Rainer W. Hofmann ◽

M. Z. Zulfiqhar Jahufer ◽

Brent A. Barrett

Keyword(s):

Water Deficit ◽

White Clover ◽

Trifolium Repens ◽

Plant Morphology ◽

Biomass Accumulation ◽

Field Capacity ◽

Water Deficit Stress ◽

Summer Drought ◽

Root Shoot Ratio ◽

The Individual

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is an important pasture legume in temperate regions, but growth is often strongly reduced under summer drought. Cloned individuals from a full-sib progeny of a pair cross between two phenotypically distinct white clover populations were exposed to water deficit in pots under outdoor conditions for 9 weeks, while control pots were maintained at field capacity. Water deficit decreased leaf water potential by more than 50% overall, but increased the levels of the flavonol glycosides of quercetin (Q) and the ratio of quercetin and kaempferol glycosides (QKR) by 111% and by 90%, respectively. Water deficit reduced dry matter (DM) by 21%, with the most productive genotypes in the controls showing the greatest proportional reduction. The full-sib progeny displayed a significant increase in the root : shoot ratio by 53% under water deficit. Drought-induced changes in plant morphology were associated with changes in Q, but not kaempferol (K) glycosides. The genotypes with high QKR levels reduced their DM production least under water deficit and increased their Q glycoside levels and QKR most. These data show, at the individual genotype level, that increased Q glycoside accumulation in response to water deficit stress can be positively associated with retaining higher levels of DM production.

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Silicon-Mediated Priming Induces Acclimation to Mild Water-Deficit Stress by Altering Physio-Biochemical Attributes in Wheat Plants

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.625541 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Arruje Hameed ◽

Tahir Farooq ◽

Amjad Hameed ◽

Munir Ahmad Sheikh

Keyword(s):

Water Deficit ◽

Plant Biomass ◽

Hydrolytic Enzymes ◽

Seed Priming ◽

Water Deficit Stress ◽

Flag Leaves ◽

Cell Membrane Stability ◽

Metabolic Functions ◽

Stress Acclimation ◽

Mediated Priming

Water-deficit stress negatively affects seed germination, seedling development, and plant growth by disrupting cellular and metabolic functions, reducing the productivity and yield of field crops. In this study, sodium silicate (SS) has been employed as a seed priming agent for acclimation to mild water-deficit stress by invoking priming memory in wheat plants. In pot experiments, the SS-primed (20, 40, and 60 mM) and non-primed control seeds were allowed to grow under normal and mild water-deficit conditions. Subsequently, known methods were followed for physiological and biochemical studies using flag leaves of 98-day mature wheat plants. The antioxidant and hydrolytic enzymes were upregulated, while proteins, reducing sugars, total sugars, and glycine betaine increased significantly in the flag leaves of wheat plants originated from SS-treated seeds compared to the control under mild water-deficit stress. Significant decreases in the malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline contents suggested a controlled production of reactive oxygen species, which resulted in enhanced cell membrane stability. The SS priming induced a significant enhancement in yield, plant biomass, and 100-grain weight of wheat plants under water-deficit stress. The improvement in the yield parameters indicated the induction of Si-mediated stress acclimation in SS-primed seeds that elicited water-deficit tolerance until the maturity of plants, ensuring sustainable productivity of climate-smart plants.

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Seed priming with sodium nitroprusside attenuates the effects of water deficit on soybean seedlings

Comunicata Scientiae ◽

10.14295/cs.v10i1.2842 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 176-184

Author(s):

Marina Alves Gavassi ◽

Lucas Aparecido Gaion ◽

Carolina Cristina Monteiro ◽

Joel Cabral Santos ◽

Rogério Falleiros Carvalho

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Sodium Nitroprusside ◽

Water Deficit ◽

Field Capacity ◽

Seed Priming ◽

Carotenoid Biosynthesis ◽

Soybean Seeds ◽

Initial Development ◽

Soybean Seedlings ◽

Fundamental Part

Considering that water deficit is one of the main environmental factors responsible for low soybean yield and that nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to be a fundamental part of plant defense signaling during stress, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of seed priming with nitric oxide on the induction of water deficit tolerance during the initial development of soybean. Thus, seeds were treated with 0 (water only), 50, 100 or 250 μmol.L-1 sodium nitroprusside for 6 hours. Additionally, untreated seeds were used. After drying, the seeds were placed in containers filled with a commercial substrate mixture and vermiculite and irrigated to 100% and 50% field capacity. Biometric and biochemical evaluations (pigment and proline contents) were performed after 14 days. It was concluded that pretreatment of soybean seeds with 50 to 250 μmol.L-1 SNP attenuated the effects of water deficit on stem growth, leaf area, and shoot dry matter and induced carotenoid biosynthesis. The accumulation of proline in the leaves was pronounced in the treatments with 100 and 250 μmol.L-1 SNP, while 100 μmol.L-1 SNP induced proline accumulation in the roots.

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Physiological response of sweet corn (Zea mays var. merit) to foliar application of salicylic acid under water deficit stress

Bangladesh Journal of Botany ◽

10.3329/bjb.v44i4.38647 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 44 (4) ◽

pp. 659-663 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ebrahim Khalilvand Behrouzyar ◽

Mehrdad Yarnia

Keyword(s):

Zea Mays ◽

Salicylic Acid ◽

Water Deficit ◽

Sweet Corn ◽

Seed Priming ◽

Grain Weight ◽

Water Deficit Stress ◽

Mild Stress ◽

Chl A ◽

And Control

The effect of water deficit stress and salicylic acid application on physiological characteristics of sweet corn (Zea mays var. Merit), an experiment was conducted. Treatments were water deficit stress in three levels: a1: normal irrigation (100% FC irrigation), a2: fair stress (75% FC irrigation) and a3: mild stress (50% FC irrigation). The second factor was the 0/1 mM salicylic acid application in six levels [b1: control, b2: seed priming, b3: SA application in 3 leaves stage, b4: SA application in pollination stage, b5: seed priming + SA application in pollination stage and b6: SA application at 3 leaves stage + pollination stage. The analysis of variance showed significant effect of interaction between water deficit stress and SA application on Chl. a, Chl. b, Chl. a + b, 100-grain weight and ear yield (p < 0.01). Results showed that SA application at 3-leaves stage + pollination stage indicated five times more Chl.a as compared with control in 50% FC irrigation. SA application at 3-leaves stage proved 4/2 and 4/4 times more Chl.b and Chl. a + b as compared to control in mild stress. SA application at pollination stage had the highest (36/15 g) and control at mild stress had the lowest (10/56 g) 100-grain weight. Also, SA application at 3-leaves stage + pollination stage had the highest (245/1 g/plant) and control at mild stress had the lowest (74/25 g/plant) ear yield.

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Effect of Water Deficit on Yield of Different Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) Genotypes

Legume Research - An International Journal ◽

10.18805/lr-600 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Aref M. Alshameri ◽

Salem S. Alghamdi ◽

Abdelrhman Z. Gaafar ◽

Bander M. Almunqedhi ◽

Ahmed A. Qahtan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Deficit ◽

Vicia Faba ◽

Faba Bean ◽

Yield Components ◽

Block Design ◽

Field Capacity ◽

Grain Legumes ◽

Water Deficit Stress ◽

Vicia Faba L ◽

Water Treatments

Background: Faba beans (Vicia faba L.) are important grain legumes but, as with many crops, these are also susceptible to water deficit. The aim of this study was to evaluate the yield components of twenty faba bean genotypes grown under water deficit.Methods: Three water treatments were applied, 25%, 50% and 100% of field capacity. A split-plot arrangement in a randomized complete block design with three replicates was used.Result: The faba genotypes Gazira2, Kamline, L4, Cairo7 and Giza402 reached flowering earlier than other genotypes through stress-escape mechanisms. Genotypes L4, Gazira1, Kamline, X.735 and Gazira2 had the highest seed yield under water-deficit conditions. Genotypes L4, X.735, 989/309/95, Kamline and Gazira1 exhibited the highest levels of biological yield. Finally, the genotypes Kamline and L.4 had higher yields and yield components under water-deficit stress. Consequently, they should be considered for use in breeding programs aimed at developing new cultivars that are better adapted to harsh environmental conditions.

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Influence of hydrophilic gel polymers on water relations and growth and yield of barley and canola

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps95-105 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 75 (3) ◽

pp. 605-611 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

K. M. Volkmar ◽

C. Chang

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Water Deficit ◽

Biomass Production ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Field Capacity ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

Commercial Application ◽

Yield Response ◽

Water Deficit Stress ◽

Agricultural Field

Hydrophilic super-absorbent polymers retain large amounts of plant-available moisture and have been promoted for use as soil amendments in drought-prone regions. This controlled-environment study evaluated the capacity of two commercial polymer gels, Grogel and Transorb, to mitigate the effects of recurring moderate water-deficit stress (dry-down to 50% field capacity before rewatering) on growth and yield of barley and canola. Rates of 0.03, 0.12, 0.47 and 1.87 g polymer kg−1 sandy loam soil (1, 4, 16 and 64 times the recommended commercial application rate) were tested. Plants were grown at a soil moisture content of approximately 50% of field capacity. Neither polymer was effective at the commercially recommended rate. Barley and canola grain yields were unaffected at any Grogel rate, and Transorb had no effect on barley grain yield. Grogel at the highest rate enhanced early shoot mass, mature biomass production and grain yield of barley and increased leaf RWC. Canola had greater early and late vegetative biomass, but pod yield was not increased by Grogel at any rate. Transorb was most effective at four times the recommended rate, significantly increasing tiller and fertile spike number and mature biomass production at that rate. Leaf RWC were unaffected by Transorb treatment. Grogel stimulated root growth of barley but had no effect on roots of canola. Both polymers tended to increase consumptive water use. Spatial restriction was found to drastically reduce the water retention of both polymers and limit the absorbency of both polymers in this study. The high rates of polymer required to elicit a crop yield response under relatively mild water-deficit conditions limit the value of these polymers for agricultural field use of the crop species tested. Key words: Barley, canola, drought, hydrophilic polymer, soil conditioner, water stress

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