R. Narimani; M. Moghaddam; D. Shokouhi
Abstract
Abstract Background and Objectives Nowadays, the use of sodium nitroprusside as an antioxidant and plant growth regulators to decrease the negative effects of various stresses has been ...
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Abstract Background and Objectives Nowadays, the use of sodium nitroprusside as an antioxidant and plant growth regulators to decrease the negative effects of various stresses has been an in portant consideration. Materials and Methods This investigation was conducted as a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with five replications at the laboratory of Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. The first factor was water stress in three levels (0, 0.5, 1 %) by polyethylene glycol (PEG), and the second factor was use of different concentrations of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) (0, 25, 50, 100 µM), in MS medium. In order to provide the explants, seeds of catmint hairless were disinfected and cultivated in MS medium. When the explants were grown, they were affected by polyethylene glycol and different concentrations of sodium nitroprusside in MS medium. After two weeks, growth characteristics, antioxidant activity, total phenol content and electrical conductivity were measured in explants. Results Water stress reduced the traits related to explants growth such as explants height, distance between internodes, fresh weight of explants, number of nodes and number of branches in each explant. Concentration of 25 µM of sodium nitroprusside had a great impact on improving these traits. The maximum amount of the measured traits was observed in water-stress-conditions using 25 µM of sodium nitroprusside and in without-water-stress conditions. Also, antioxidant activity (85.15%), total phenol content (5.15 mg/g FW) and electrical conductivity (74.92%) were in maximum amount in water-stress conditions by 1% polyethylene glycol application and non-use of sodium nitroprusside that decreased with the use of sodium nitroprusside. Discussion The results showed that using NO as an antioxidant compound reduces the effects of tension generally and the low concentration of nitric oxide (Concentration of 25 µM of SNP) seems to be the best concentration for catmint hairless seedlings under severe drought stress conditions which can reduces the adverse effects of stress and increases the probability of tolerance of seedlings in drought stress conditions by effecting on antioxidant activity of the plant.
