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Frontiers in Plant Science
Frontiers
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Abstract: |
Salinity is a major threat to the sustainability of agricultural production systems. Salt stress
has unfavorable implications on various plant physio-morphological and biochemical
reactions, causing osmotic and ionic stress. Exogenously applied folic acid (FA) may
at least provide one mechanism to evade the injurious stress effects of saline irrigation
water on Plectranthus amboinicus. In this regard, two pot trials were performed during
the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 seasons in an open greenhouse of an experimental
farm (29◦17’N; 30◦53’E) in Fayoum, Egypt. We tested four levels of saline irrigation
water (SW): 34, 68, and 102 mM NaCl, plus tap water as the control = 0), combined
with FA at three concentrations (25 and 50 µM, plus spray with distilled water as the
control = 0). The growth parameters, biochemistry, physiology, elemental leaf status,
essential oil content, and anatomical responses were assessed. Salt markedly reduced
photosynthetic productivity [Fv/Fm and performance index (PI)], total chlorophyll [soil
plant analysis development (SPAD)], and leaf osmoprotectant compounds, i.e., total
soluble sugars (TSS), free amino acids, proline, and total phenolics, thus hampering
P. amboinicus growth and essential oil yield. However, the addition of FA as a foliar
spray to P. amboinicus irrigated with saline water induced increases in Fv/Fm, SPAD,
and PI. These were linked with enriched stem anatomical structures, leaf osmoprotectant
compounds, and enhanced leaf enzymatic activity, e.g., superoxide dismutase, catalase,
ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione, ascorbic acid, and antioxidant
content. Under salt stress, supplementation of 25 and 50 µM FA increased the growth
and production of essential oil by 27.8 and 55.6%, respectively, compared with no
applied FA. The highest growth characteristics and elemental leaf contents were obtainedwhen P. amboinicus was irrigated with 0 mM saline water and treated foliarly with 50 µM
of FA compared with non-treated plants. Overall, these data showed that foliar spraying
with FA reduces the impact of salt stress on P. amboinicus irrigated with saline water.
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