Growth response and antioxidant enzyme activity of Cassia occidentalis exposed to soil moisture stress

Abstract

Biotic and abiotic stresses exert a considerable influence on the growth and physiology of plants. Water stress is one of the most important abiotic stress factors. The study was carried out to elucidate the effect of drought stress on growth, physiology and antioxidant enzyme activity of Cassia occidentalis experiencing four water regimes with soil relative water content ranging from 65% to 12%. Plants were grown in pots and treated with three irrigation levels (100ml, 200ml and 300ml).The experiment was laid out in complete randomized design (CRD) with three replicates. Data on growth, physiological parameters and antioxidant enzyme activity were recorded and analyzed statistically. Physiological parameters like leaf area index, biomass accumulation, relative water content and membrane stability index decreased significantly with decrease in water level, but mild level of water treatment enhanced the growth. The plant exhibited an increase in antioxidant enzyme activity under stressed condition which proves its tolerance against drought. Thus it can be concluded that Cassia occidentalis plant is able to tolerate a limited water levels by enhancing its antioxidant defense but excessive drought markedly affected the enzyme activity and so depleted the plant growth.

Effects of Soil Water Deficit on Three Tree Species of the Arid Environment: Variations in Growth, Physiology, and Antioxidant Enzyme Activities

“…In this study we found a significant increase in EL percentage in all three species under both MWD and SWD treatments as compared to control conditions ( Figure 2). These results are consistent with the findings on Cassia occidentalis where a significant increase in EL percentage has been evidenced under water stress [49]. Furthermore, EL percentage was found the highest in Salix tetrasperma under SWD which shows a high membrane sensitivity of Salix tetrasperma to high water stress.…”

Drought Induced Changes in Growth, Osmolyte Accumulation and Antioxidant Metabolism of Three Maize Hybrids

“…lanatus ). Furthermore, drought stress caused an increase in EL compared to well-watered conditions in Cassia occidentalis ( Srivastava and Srivastava, 2015 ). The drought tolerance in young oil palm plants was related to efficient protective mechanisms against ROS by activating enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant strategies simultaneously ( Silva et al, 2015 ).…”

Characterization of a Novel Bacillus glycinifermentans Strain MGMM1 Based on Full Genome Analysis and Phenotypic Properties for Biotechnological Applications

“…To isolate these microbes with the ability to resist abiotic stress and able to remediate heavy metals, a good approach is to target the rhizospheric microbes of suffrutescent weed plants with these properties. Senna occidentalis is a pantropical medicinal weed that is resistant to drought, remediates heavy metals and is associated with plant growth-promoting bacteria [ 29 , 30 , 31 ]. Our aim was to isolate and characterize a Bacillus strain from Senna occidentalis to predict its applications in different biotechnological sectors.…”