Plant Productions

Improvement of morphophysiological characteristics and essential oil percentage of Iranian Borage (Echium amoenum Fisch. & C.A. Mey.) under salinity stress with foliar application of salicylic acid

Mina Amani; Mohsen Sabzi-Nojadeh

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 02 March 2025

https://doi.org/10.22055/ppd.2025.47735.2195

Abstract

Introduction: Medicinal plants are essential components of both traditional remedies and modern pharmaceuticals, with their raw and processed forms widely utilized in various medical ... Read More Introduction: Medicinal plants are essential components of both traditional remedies and modern pharmaceuticals, with their raw and processed forms widely utilized in various medical practices today. Iran, endowed with significant natural and geographical advantages, has the potential to be a leading producer, consumer, and exporter of medicinal plants. Among these, Echium amoenum Fisch. & C. A. Mey. is cultivated to maximize the production of its bioactive compounds. However, the growth and yield of such plants are significantly affected by environmental factors, particularly salinity stress, which is prevalent in Iran arid and semi-arid climate. This stress presents a considerable challenge to the production of medicinal plants. Salicylic acid, a plant hormone, offers a promising solution by mitigating the adverse effects of salt stress through the modulation of physiological and biochemical responses, including the upregulation of osmolytes. Furthermore, it enhances the expression of genes involved in the synthesis of phenolic compounds and flavonoids, which are critical for plant adaptation to environmental stressors. This study aims to assess the effects of foliar application of salicylic acid on the morphophysiological traits and essential oil yield of Iranian Borage under salt stress conditions. Materials and Methods: To investigate the effects of salicylic acid foliar spraying on the vegetative and physiological traits, as well as the essential oil yield of the Iranian Borage, under conditions of salinity stress, a factorial experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with three replications. The study examined the influence of salicylic acid concentrations (0, 180 and 360 µM) and varying salinity levels (0, 25, 50, 75 mM NaCl) on Iranian Borage. Prior to conducting a factorial ANOVA, the data were assessed for normality and homogeneity of variance. Results and Discussion: Salinity stress adversely affected all measured parameters of the Iranian Borage, while the application of salicylic acid enhanced their resilience under these conditions. The optimal growth, indicated by the highest fresh and dry weights, increased plant height, and essential oil yield, was achieved with a concentration of 360 µM salicylic acid in the absence of salinity stress. Additionally, the highest levels of phenolic and flavonoid compounds were recorded with 180 µM salicylic acid at a salinity level of 25 mM. Conclusions: The study demonstrates the beneficial effects of salicylic acid on the growth and biochemical properties of Borage, particularly under varying salinity conditions. Specifically, the application of salicylic acid at a concentration of 360 µM in the absence of salinity stress has been shown to promote optimal plant growth and enhance the production of essential oils. This finding highlights the potential of salicylic acid as a plant growth regulator that can be utilized to improve the quality and yield of medicinal plants. Moreover, under conditions of mild salinity stress, the treatment with 180 µM salicylic acid significantly increases the content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids. These compounds are known for their antioxidant properties and play a crucial role in the plant’s defense mechanisms. The enhancement of these biochemical attributes indicates that salicylic acid not only supports growth but also boosts the plant’s ability to cope with stress, thereby improving its nutritional and medicinal value. Despite the negative impacts of salt stress on plant growth and overall biochemical attributes, the findings of this study underscore the effectiveness of salicylic acid at a concentration of 360 µM in alleviating these adverse effects. The treatment not only promotes plant development but also enhances vital biochemical properties that contribute to the plant’s resilience and adaptability in saline environments. In light of these results, the foliar application of salicylic acid emerges as a cost-effective and practical strategy for farmers and agricultural practitioners aiming to enhance the growth and antioxidant levels of medicinal plants such as Borage. This approach could provide significant benefits in sustainable agriculture, particularly in regions affected by soil salinity, ultimately contributing to improved crop yields and quality.

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Effects of Silicon and Cytokinin on Antioxidant Enzyme Activity and Grain Yield of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Under Drought Stress Conditions

Ali Mohammadi Kharkeshi; Elyas Rahimi Petroudi; Fazl Shirdel Shahmiri; Hamid Reza Mobasser; Alireza Daneshmand

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 24 May 2025

https://doi.org/10.22055/ppd.2025.48974.2253

Abstract

Introduction Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is an important oilseed crop due to its high content of oil, antioxidants, and protein. Drought is one of the most destructive abiotic stresses ... Read More Introduction Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is an important oilseed crop due to its high content of oil, antioxidants, and protein. Drought is one of the most destructive abiotic stresses that significantly affects all quantitative and qualitative traits of sesame. Silicon (Si) is a micronutrient that plays a crucial role in protecting plants against abiotic stresses. This efficiency is due to silicon's ability to synthesize phytoalexins and phenolics in response to these stresses. Additionally, cytokinins (CKs) can reduce the damage to plants caused by various abiotic stresses. Cytokinin plays a crucial role in regulating growth and maintaining the stability of the photosynthetic system during stress periods. It also modulates many physiological activities induced by drought stress. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the effects of silicon and cytokinins on the activity of antioxidant enzymes and sesame seed yield under drought stress conditions. Materials and methods This experiment was conducted in 2020 and 2021 as a split factorial in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experiment was carried out at the Firoozkandeh Agricultural Research Station, located 6 km north of Sari city (36°48'N, 53°5'E, and 8 m above sea level), Mazandaran province, northern Iran. The treatments included drought stress (no stress or control, moderate stress, and severe stress) as the main factor, and silicon (no silicon or control, soil-applied calcium silicate, and foliar-applied nanosilicon), and cytokinin (no cytokinin or control and foliar-applied cytokinin) as sub-factors. Moderate and severe drought stress were applied through irrigation after 100 and 200 mm of evaporation from a Class A evaporation pan, respectively. The traits studied included grain yield, concentration of photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant enzyme activity, proline content, silica concentration, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. Data analysis was performed using SAS 9.2 and MSTAT-C statistical software. The least significant difference (LSD) test at the 5% probability level was used for mean comparisons. Results and Discussion The results showed that with increasing levels of drought stress, the concentrations of chlorophylls a and b decreased by 13.1% and 10.8%, respectively. The maximum concentration of chlorophyll a was obtained with foliar application of nanosilicon and cytokinin (2.176 mg g-1 FW). The maximum catalase enzyme activity under severe drought stress conditions was observed with foliar application of nanosilicon and cytokinin (0.4187 unit mg-1 protein). The activity of guaiacol peroxidase enzyme reached its maximum under moderate drought stress conditions with the same foliar applications (0.2868 unit mg-1 protein). In the years 2020 and 2021, foliar application of nanosilicon resulted in the highest proline content (0.4344 and 0.4439 mg g-1 FW, respectively). Additionally, in 2021, the highest proline content was obtained with foliar application of cytokinin (0.4415 mg g-1 FW). Grain yield decreased by 32.7% with increasing levels of drought stress. The maximum grain yield was obtained with foliar application of nanosilicon (1647 kg ha-1), and foliar application of cytokinin also increased grain yield by 6.6%. Oleic acid was only affected by drought stress and showed an increasing trend with increasing drought stress level. Conclusion Overall, the results showed that drought stress reduced chlorophyll concentration and grain yield, as well as increased oleic acid. Simultaneous foliar application of nano-silicon and cytokinin increased chlorophyll concentration and separately led to an increase in grain yield. Simultaneous foliar application of nano-silicon and cytokinin also enhanced the increasing effect of drought stress on enzyme activity.

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Effect of Waterlogging Stress on Yield and Yield Components and Photosynthetic Characteristics of Two Mung Bean Cultivars in Ahvaz Conditions

Seyed Bashir Fazeli; Afrasyab Rahnama; Payman Hassibi

Volume 45, Issue 1 , May 2022, , Pages 95-108

https://doi.org/10.22055/ppd.2020.30538.1805

Abstract

IntroductionMung bean (Vigna radiata L.) is one of the most important legumes in the world. This nitrogen-stabilizing plant has rapid growth and a short growth period, leading to improved ... Read More IntroductionMung bean (Vigna radiata L.) is one of the most important legumes in the world. This nitrogen-stabilizing plant has rapid growth and a short growth period, leading to improved soil fertility. Mung bean is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia due to its high adaptation range. Plants are obligate aerobic organisms and thus depend on O2 to grow and compete successfully with neighbouring plants in natural environments. Waterlogging stress is one of the most important factors limiting the planting of mung bean under Ahvaz conditions. Materials and MethodsIn order to study the effects of waterlogging stress on some agronomic and physiological characteristics of two Mung bean cultivars, a pot experiment was conducted as split factorial in a completely randomized block design with three replications in the field. The main plots were different growth stages consisted of vegetative growth stage, the beginning of flowering, grain filling stage, and three growth stages. The combination of stress levels (control and waterlogging stress) and two Mung bean cultivars (Hindi and Omrani) were as subplots. Results and DiscussionWaterlogging was caused to decrease significantly dry matter and grain yield in both cultivars at each growth stages, In Hindi cultivar, the highest grain yield reduction was observed at flowering stage and the least difference was observed in waterlogging stress at all three growth stages. In Omrani cultivar, the highest grain yield reduction was observed in waterlogging stress at all three growth stages, and the least grain yield decrease at flowering stage. Overall, the reductions in dry weight and grain yield were higher in Omrani than Hindi cultivar at three growth stages. Therefore, in stress-prone areas such as Ahvaz where summer plants such as Mung bean are exposed to waterlogging stress at different growth stages, Hindi cultivar is suggested for cultivation. Waterlogging stress did not show a significant effect on grain weight and grain number per pod, but significantly reduced the number of pods per plant. The number of pods per plant was significantly more important in determining yield and had a positive and significant correlation (r = 0.846 **) with grain yield. The reason of difference between two cultivars was the better physiological compatibility of Hindi cultivar under stress conditions, including higher levels of photosynthesis and photosynthetic pigments contents. When plants were treated only with waterlogging stress in one growth stage, the Omrani cultivar could compensate some damages due to its indeterminate growth and phenological flexibility, as the period of pod formation was longer in this cultivar. SPAD value had the highest correlation with grain yield (r=0.707**) compared to other photosynthesis-related traits and could be used as a marker trait for selection of tolerant cultivars because of its ease, speed, cheapness and the possibility to measure this trait in the field. ConclusionThe results indicated that mung bean yield decrease in response to waterlogging stress, depending on growth stages, and experimental duration. The reductions in grain yield was impacted by the growth stage subjected to waterlogging stress. Moreover, the Hindi cultivar seems to be more tolerant to waterlogging in Khuzestan region

Genetic Diversity Study of Sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) Genotypes for Agro-morphological Traits Under Normal and Drought Stress Conditions

Ali Saremi-Rad; Khodadad Mostafavi

Volume 43, Issue 2 , September 2020, , Pages 227-240

https://doi.org/10.22055/ppd.2020.27588.1671

Abstract

Abstract Background and ObjectivesAs the world's population grows, increasing demand for edible oils is inevitable. In addition to plant genetics, environmental variability plays ... Read More Abstract Background and ObjectivesAs the world's population grows, increasing demand for edible oils is inevitable. In addition to plant genetics, environmental variability plays a key role in plant yield. Drought is one of the most important environmental stresses that reduce the productivity of sunflower and other crops. Understanding the nature of phenotypic traits that improve performance under stress conditions and identifying the complex physiological and genetically mechanisms is fundamental to plant stress. Improving drought tolerance and increasing water productivity in plants is one of the most important goals of the breeders. Gaining knowledge of the amount of phenotypic and genetic parameters in the plant species for genetic and plant breeding studies is very important for the exact selection of the genotypes according to the objectives of the breeding programs. Understanding the nature of morphological, physiological, genetic and molecular mechanisms under the influence of drought tolerance can play an important role in the development of drought tolerant genotypes for cultivation in arid and semi-arid areas. The main aims of this study included investigation of genetic diversity of sunflower germplasm (to understand the relationships between morphological traits and their heritability) and accurate identification of the most important traits that affect the sunflower yield in each of the normal conditions and drought stress. Materials and MethodsAn experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications in normal and drought stress conditions in 2014 growing season on 12 sunflower genotypes in a research field of Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch. Each block consisted of 12 plots and each plot contained five rows. Each row was 5 meters length with 60 cm spacing, and plant spacing on rows was 20 cm. The studied traits included grain yield, seed length, seed width, seed diameter, leaf length, leaf width, plant height and stem diameter. ResultsThe results of combined analysis of variance confirmed the significant diversity among genotypes for most traits. Grain yield showed higher values for parameters of genetic efficiency, genotypic and phenotypic variation coefficients under drought stress and non-stress conditions compared to other traits. While the highest percentage of heritability in the normal condition belonged to grain yield, it belonged to plant height in the stress conditions. Plant height, leaf width, stem diameter and leaf length showed the highest change in terms of traits in stress conditions compared to normal conditions. Dendrograms derived from cluster analysis classified genotypes into three groups based on studied traits under both drought stress and non-stress conditions. According to the cluster analysis, under drought stress condition, the Sor and Progress genotypes were identified as tolerant genotypes and, in contrast, genotypes of Favorite, Record, SHF81-90, Master and Lakomka were recognized as sensitive genotypes. DiscussionIn the combined analysis of variance the significance of the environmental effect shows that drought stress has significantly affected all traits. Therefore, the applied stress reveals the differences between the cultivars and the evaluation of the cultivars in the stress environment can lead to the selection of suitable cultivars. The effect of genotype was not significant for some traits, which suggests that the selection of cultivars for these traits is complex because the differences between the cultivars are not clearly defined. Selection is more reliable for traits that are significant, such as grain yield. The interaction between genotype and environment also increases the complexity of selection, which was significant only for plant height in this study. The high coefficient of phenotypic variation for traits indicates that the expression of these traits is greatly affected by the environment. Also, the high coefficient of genotypic and phenotypic variation for some traits indicates the wide range of changes for these traits. In general, the correspondence of the phenotypic coefficient and the genotypic coefficient in some traits indicates that the environmental effects on trait expression are negligible. However, when the phenotypic variation coefficient is higher than the genotypic variation coefficient, it indicates a high environmental effect. The low difference between the phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation for some traits suggests that these traits are more controlled by genetic factors. Therefore, the selection of parents for these traits is appropriate for hybridization programs.

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Keywords = Abiotic stress

Improvement of morphophysiological characteristics and essential oil percentage of Iranian Borage (Echium amoenum Fisch. & C.A. Mey.) under salinity stress with foliar application of salicylic acid

Abstract

Effects of Silicon and Cytokinin on Antioxidant Enzyme Activity and Grain Yield of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Under Drought Stress Conditions

Abstract

Effect of Waterlogging Stress on Yield and Yield Components and Photosynthetic Characteristics of Two Mung Bean Cultivars in Ahvaz Conditions

Abstract

Genetic Diversity Study of Sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) Genotypes for Agro-morphological Traits Under Normal and Drought Stress Conditions

Abstract