Physiological and yield responses of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench) to nitrogen sources at different levels of irrigation

Abstract

Echinacea purpurea (L.) is one of the most important medicinal plants in the world showing different biochemical reactions as affected by drought stress and nitrogen fertilizer. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of nitrogen on soluble protein, enzyme activities, carotenoids metabolism, greenness and biological yield of the Echinacea purpurea under different levels of irrigation. The experiment was conducted in a research field in Iran during 2013-2015. Irrigation treatments included irrigation after 25, 50 and 75% soil water depletion, and nitrogen sources were no nitrogen (N), nitroxin, 40 kg N ha-1 , 40 kg N ha-1 ? nitroxin and 80 kg N ha-1. Nitroxin is a biofertilizer including Azotobacter and Azospirillum. The activity of catalase (11.9-21.3 mmol g-1 fw min-1), peroxidase (40.1-48.9 lmol g-1 fw min-1), polyphenoloxidase (0.79-3.63 mmol g-1 fw min-1) increased in both years under drought stress conditions. The lowest greenness (50.1-45.9) was achieved from no-application of nitrogen in the irrigation treatment after 75% water depletion. The results demonstrated the beneficial effects of nitrogen sources on physiological reactions, especially peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and carotenoids metabolism. It is concluded that irrigation of E. purpurea based on 50% water depletion and 80 kg nitrogen as well as the combination of nitroxin and 40 kg nitrogen treatments should be an appropriate choice for 2 years.

Improving growth properties and phytochemical compounds of Echinacea purpurea (L.) medicinal plant using novel nitrogen slow release fertilizer under greenhouse conditions

“…Iron generally does not cause toxicity to plants. However, a high concentration of Fe can decrease P plant availability due to the formation of iron-phosphate salts and it is therefore harmful to plants indirectly 24 . The content of various heavy metals in all N-fertilizer types were as fallowed: Fe > Mn > Zn > Ni > Cu > Pb > Cd.…”

“…According to Saeed et al (2018), accumulation of phenolic compounds in the plant rhizomata cum radicibus prevents NO 3 − toxicity in plants. There are some reports showing that stress conditions increase either phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) synthesis or activity in plants 6,11,12,14,32 ; other authors 24 have found that some stress treatments delay the increase in wound-induced PAL activity. Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase activity was found to vary greatly with the stage of plant development 18 .…”

“…The study in Hungary demonstrated that application of 60-80 kg ha −1 N, 40-60 kg ha −1 phosphorus (P) and 80-100 kg ha −1 potassium (K + ) lead to increase of biological yield and phenolic compounds of E. purpurea 22 . The optimum nutrients ratio for plant growth depends on species and environmental conditions 23 and soil pollution with chemical pollutants such as various heavy metals 24 . Several studies demonstrated that soil heavy metals pollution caused to decrease of E. purpurea yield under greenhouse condition 14 .…”

Technology Improvement for Seedling Growing Method of Echinacea Purpurea Under Drip Irrigation

“…It was established that Echinacea purpurea for seedlings growing under irrigation conditions had a yield of raw materials on average: grasses within 4.3 -6.6 t/ha, roots 1.3 -2.2 t/ha (Table 2). [13].…”

Molecular Defensive Mechanism of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench against PAH Contaminations

“…E. purpurea , an Asteraceae family ornamental plant, has attracted particular interest in the phytoremediation of PAH soil contamination in the past decade [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. E. purpurea can survive under various soil conditions and stresses, such as saline, drought, and cold, owing to its highly developed fibrous root system, strong growth, and large biomass [ 14 ]. PAH phytoremediation with E. purpurea has further advantages in revegetation cover and beautification of green spaces [ 13 , 15 ].…”