Response of seed yield and biochemical traits of Eruca sativa Mill. to drought stress in a collection study

Abstract

Drought tolerance is a complex trait in plants that involves different biochemical mechanisms. During two years of study (2019–2020), the responses of 64 arugula genotypes to drought stress were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with three replications under field conditions. Several metabolic traits were evaluated, i.e. relative water content, photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll and carotenoids), proline, malondialdehyde, enzymatic antioxidants (catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and peroxidase), total phenolic and flavonoid contents and seed yield. On average, the drought stress significantly increased the proline content (24%), catalase (42%), peroxidase (60%) and malondialdehyde activities (116%) over the two years of study. As a result of the drought stress, the seed yield (18%), relative water content (19.5%) and amount of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll and carotenoids) dropped significantly. However, the total phenolic and flavonoid contents showed no significant changes. Under drought stress, the highest seed yields were seen in the G50, G57, G54, G55 and G60 genotypes, while the lowest value was observed in the G16 genotype (94 g plant−1). According to the findings, when compared to the drought-sensitive genotypes, the drought-tolerant arugula genotypes were marked with higher levels of proline accumulation and antioxidant enzyme activity. Correlation analysis indicated the positive effects of peroxidase, catalase and proline on seed yield under drought conditions. These traits can be considered for the selection of drought-tolerant genotypes in breeding programs.

Physiological and biochemical mechanisms of grain yield loss in fumitory (Fumaria parviflora Lam.) exposed to copper and drought stress

“…Under heavy metal stresses, flavonoids enhance the process of metal chelation, which may reduce the level of harmful hydroxyl radicals in plant cells 62 . In the present study, increasing drought stress intensity led to an increase in TPC and TFD, which were consistent with the previous reports in Carthamus tinctorius 63 and Eruca sativa 64 . Also, the increase in Cu concentrations up to Cu 400 , resulted in an increase in TPC and TFD.…”

Metabolic Mechanisms Underlying Heat and Drought Tolerance in Lentil Accessions: Implications for Stress Tolerance Breeding

“…These results may be related to the adequate actions of these antioxidants, which can remove ROS and reduce the harmful effects of stress conditions. These outcomes are consistent with the findings of previous reports in lentil [41,67] and other species [38,68,69]. In addition, we observed a significant correlation between TPC and TAA under high-temperature stress conditions.…”

“…As a protective mechanism, plants deploy antioxidant enzymes such as CAT, APX, and SOD as their primary defense to scavenge H 2 O 2 with different mechanisms and suppress its toxic impacts [37]. Our study observed heightened activities of antioxidant enzymes in nearly all tolerant and moderately tolerant lentil accessions, as a response to the stresses of high temperature and drought, which was in agreement with the outcomes of other investigations [38][39][40][41][42]. Under adverse environmental conditions, complex antioxidant enzyme activities play a critical role in overcoming uncontrolled reactive oxygen species generation and protecting plants from oxidative damage [23].…”

Moisture content and mycorrhizal fungi in maternal environment influence performance and composition of Lallemantia species offspring

“…The reaction of APX included 50 mL of enzyme extract, 2 mL of ascorbic acid (5 mM), 5 mL of 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), and 10 μL of H 2 O 2 (0.5 mM). The reaction was analyzed at 290 nm for 3 min [ 40 ].…”