Foliar Application of Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic Acid (EDTA) Improves the Growth and Yield of Brown Mustard (Brassica juncea) by Modulating Photosynthetic Pigments, Antioxidant Defense, and Osmolyte Production under Lead (Pb) Stress

Abstract

Lead (Pb) toxicity imposes several morphological and biochemical changes in plants grown in Pb-contaminated soils. Application of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) in mitigating heavy metal stress has already been studied. However, the role of EDTA in mitigating heavy metal stress, especially in oilseed crops, is less known. Therefore, the study aimed to explore the potential effect of foliar application of 2.5 mM EDTA on two different varieties of Brassica juncea L., i.e., Faisal (V1) and Rohi (V2), with and without 0.5 mM Lead acetate [Pb(C2H3O2)2] treatment. Statistical analysis revealed that Pb stress was harmful to the plant. It caused a considerable decrease in the overall biomass (56.2%), shoot and root length (21%), yield attributes (20.16%), chlorophyll content (35.3%), total soluble proteins (12.9%), and calcium (61.7%) and potassium (40.9%) content of the plants as compared to the control plants. However, the foliar application of EDTA alleviated the adverse effects of Pb in both varieties. EDTA application improved the morphological attributes (67%), yield (29%), and photosynthetic pigments (80%). Positive variations in the antioxidant activity, ROS, and contents of total free amino acid, anthocyanin, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid, even under Pb stress, were prominent. EDTA application further improved their presence in the brown mustard verifying it as a more stress-resistant plant. It was deduced that the application of EDTA had significantly redeemed the adverse effects of Pb, leaving room for further experimentation to avoid Pb toxification in the mustard oil and the food chain.

Examining Nicotinamide Application Methods in Alleviating Lead-Induced Stress in Spring Barley

“…In recent years, numerous scientific studies have explored the use of exogenous substances to mitigate the toxicity of various abiotic stresses, including those induced by heavy metals. Effective alleviation of lead stress has been achieved through the application of substances such as brassinosteroids [23][24][25][26], auxins, cyto-kinins [27], salicylic acid (SA) [28,29] jasmonic acid (JA) [30], various organic chelates [31,32], glutathione (GSH) [33], and vitamins [34][35][36]. Various methods of introducing exogenous substances into plants exposed to heavy metals are documented in the literature.…”

Silicon and iron nanoparticles protect rice against lead (Pb) stress by improving oxidative tolerance and minimizing Pb uptake

“…It is well known that Pb prompts phytotoxicity in seedlings and can increase the rate of ROS and oxidative stress, which can change the production of macromolecules, such as nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins in cells 13 . In plant cells, heavy metals triggered by oxidative stress can either repress the production level of antioxidative enzymes or stimulate more ROS 51 . Here, rice seedlings exposed to Pb displayed considerably higher contents of H 2 O 2 and MDA (lipid peroxidation) than the control, and the high rate of lipid peroxidation indicates more damage to lipids (Fig.…”

Effect of Soaking of Seeds in Water and Storage Period in a Regular Refrigerator to Produce Sprouts of some Vegetables for Marketing Purposes

“…The treatment a2b2c3 (red radish seeds with non-soaking with the third storage period) recorded the highest chlorophyll content in the sprouts reaching 20.29 mg/L compared to the interaction a3b2c2 (purslane seeds with non-soaking with the second storage period) which recorded the lowest value (5.93 mg/L). The increase of chlorophyll content in the radish and mustard sprouts with advanced storage compared to purslane sprouts may be logical, perhaps because the leaves of both radish (and even the root) [49] and mustard are usually green in color [50], while purslane contains the carotenoid [51] and anthocyanin [30] pigments.…”