Drought stress effect on polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity of cowpea pods and seeds

Abstract

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is a protein‐rich grain legume with high adaptability to heat and drought and can be consumed during all stages of the plant development. Drought is a severe environmental stress with major impacts on plant development and productivity. This study main objective was to understand the effects of drought stress on polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity in plant tissue at different stages of cowpea development. Four cowpea genotypes grown until the anthesis under well‐irrigate conditions and then were submitted to two watering regimens (0% and 75% of field capacity) for one week. Immature pods and seeds and dry seeds were collected, and polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity were evaluated by spectrophotometry. In general, differences between genotypes, plant growth stage and treatments were observed. A variation of phenolic content and antioxidant capacity has been detected in all cowpea genotypes and plant tissues at different development stages. Immature pods showed the highest values in all the parameters evaluated, while the dry seed presented the lowest values. The samples submitted to drought stress showed a slight decrease in all the parameters evaluated compared to control samples being this decrease only significant in some parameters and growth stages. This study shows that drought stress did not significantly influence the quality of cowpea through phenolic content and antioxidant capacity.

Seed nutritional quality in lentil (Lens culinaris) under different moisture regimes

“…Mean antioxidant activity quantified using DPPH asaay declined dramatically under stress. Reduction in antioxidant capacity may be attributed to a decrease in phenol concentration as reported in cow pea (35). Correlation study showed that grain yield was positively related to antioxidant properties in stress.…”

Appraisal for organic amendments and plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria to enhance crop productivity under drought stress: A review

“…As reactive molecules, ROS oxidize and modify cellular components, thereby causing irreversible DNA damage and even cell death (Huang et al., 2019). Physiological characteristics of plants such as gaseous exchange and water use efficiency are mainly disturbed under drought (Carvalho et al., 2021; Cotrim et al., 2020; Goodarzian‐Ghahfarokhi et al., 2016). Moreover, the integrity of cellular membranes, photosynthetic pigments, osmotic adjustment of osmolytes, and photosynthesis are severely affected by drought stress (Jafari et al., 2019).…”

“…It has been a widespread problem that is 2/3rd of the cultivated area worldwide is facing drought stress, which is expected to increase in the coming years due to global warming. Drought stress has deleterious effects on crop growth and productivity through physiological (stomatal closure, root architecture, and so on) and biochemical changes (oxidative stress) and ultimately poses a threat to food security (Aslam et al., 2013; Carvalho et al., 2021). It is highly likely to investigate certain amendments with the potential to enhance crop productivity under drought stress and ultimately leading to food security.…”

Effect of Seed Priming with Endophytic Bacillus subtilis on Some Physio-Biochemical Parameters of Two Wheat Varieties Exposed to Drought after Selective Herbicide Application

“…Losses of grain yield/quality from major abiotic stresses such as drought and its combinations with other stresses, cause a significant damage to agriculture, food industry, and economy. Drought, adversely affecting the overall plant metabolism at the physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels, leads to the damages of various cellular compartments, protein degradation, enzyme inactivation, reduced nutrient uptake, transpiration and photosynthesis rates, stomatal closure, growth inhibition, and wilting and drying of plants [2][3][4][5].…”