Interactive Effects of Melatonin and Salicylic Acid on Brassica Napus Under Drought Condition

Abstract

Aims Understanding the interactive actions of melatonin and salicylic acid in counteracting the negative effects of drought is imperative for increasing growth and yield of canola. Here we discuss the interactive effects of exogenously applied melatonin (MET) and salicylic acid (SA) on morphology, physiology, and biochemical characteristics of drought stressed canola plants. Methods Two cultivars of canola (Super canola and Faisal canola) were used. MET (0.1µM) and SA (0.50mM) were applied in two ways, i.e., as seed priming and as foliar spray. Plants were exposed to severe drought stress of 45% field capacity at reproductive stage. Results Subjecting canola cultivars to drought caused significant reduction in shoot length (19%), plant fresh (15%) and dry (17%) biomass, yield (30%), photosynthetic attributes (43%), meanwhile enhanced free amino acids (20%), total soluble sugars (5%), and different antioxidant enzymes like catalase (27%), peroxidase (23%) and superoxide dismutase (20%) Seed priming, and foliar application of MET and SA resulted in significant increase in growth parameters and yield attributes of both canola cultivars via improving photosynthetic attributes and activity of compatible solutes and antioxidant enzyme systems. Priming of seeds with MET as well as MET priming combined with SA foliar spray were the most effective treatments of all, showing 22% increase in plant height, 46% in fresh and 40% in dry biomass and yield components (49%) of canola cultivars at either drought stress or normal irrigation. Conclusions The combined application of MET and SA has the potential to enhance canola plants growth under drought.

The Boron Application Effects on Germination and Seedling Parameters of Sorghum Cultivars [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] in Drought

“…As it is known, if the plant height is getting higher, it increases surface evaporation and also the loss of water. Similarly, several researchers reported that drought stress has inhibitory effects on plant growth and decreases the shoot and root fresh weight (Sattar et al, 2021, Rafique et al, 2022. Water deficit decreased seed GR and seed germination percentage.…”

“…It is estimated that the world population, which was about seven billion in recent years, will reach nine billion by 2050, and to support such a population, food security is more threatened by different kinds of environmental stresses (Khan et al, 2020). In recent years, with the effect of global warming, being an environmental problem, the importance of water has begun to be felt with agricultural drought (Khanna-Chopra and Selote, 2017;Rafique et al, 2022).…”