Foliar Application of Oil Palm Wood Vinegar Enhances Pandanus amaryllifolius Tolerance under Drought Stress

Abstract

Drought stress severely threatens plant growth, yield and survivability. Wood vinegar, formed by the condensation of smoke produced during biochar production, has been shown to promote plant growth and enhance stress tolerance. They have now been recognized as a sustainable alternative and are frequently used exogenously to support plants coping with environmental stress. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of oil palm wood vinegar (OPWV) in mitigating the adverse effects of drought stress on Pandanus amaryllifolius. The optimal concentrations and frequencies of OPWV application were determined before the drought treatment. The results showed that the imposed drought stress negatively affected the plant growth parameters but applying OPWV at 1:500 dilution at 3-day intervals for 12 days increased its tolerance. These include increased leaf relative water content, root-to-shoot ratio, relative stem circumference, chlorophyll pigments and antioxidant enzyme activities. In contrast, the drought-stressed plants treated with OPWV showed decreased relative electrolyte leakage, hydrogen peroxide, proline, malondialdehyde, and enhanced drought-responsive gene expressions, such as HSP70, GAPDH, and Thau, while ENO and β-Fruc were reduced. These biostimulatory effects of OPWV might be due to several antioxidant compounds, such as anthranilic acid, tetrasiloxane, syringol, guaiacol, and catechol. Altogether, our results showed the effectiveness of OPWV in alleviating the adverse effects of drought stress, and as such, OPWV could be potentially applied in agriculture.

Wood Distillate Promotes the Tolerance of Lettuce in Extreme Salt Stress Conditions

“…However, salt had a great impact in lowering the production and the accumulation of phenolic compounds in lettuce leaves, already noticeable at very low salt concentrations. The actions of WD can be useful in enhancing the non-enzymatic antioxidant compounds to resist not only high salt levels, but also in increasing the levels of phenols in the edible parts of plants grown under non-stressful conditions [68,69]. The use of natural products that induce stress in plants, known as eustress, by activating defense mechanisms and stimulating the increased production of antioxidants [70] is a commonly adopted practice in horticulture to improve the quality of horticultural plants [71].…”

Establishment and validation of a callus tissue transformation system for German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.)

“…Furthermore, when cefotaxime concentration was 300 mg/L, the growth of A. tumefaciens was completely inhibited and callus tissue growth was normal. In this research, a successful genetic transformation system for German chamomile callus tissue was established, providing a foundational platform for validating gene functions in German chamomile [34,35] (Fig. 6).…”