Selenium Alleviates the Adverse Effect of Drought in Oilseed Crops Camelina (Camelina sativa L.) and Canola (Brassica napus L.)

Abstract

Drought poses a serious threat to oilseed crops by lowering yield and crop failures under prolonged spells. A multi-year field investigation was conducted to enhance the drought tolerance in four genotypes of Camelina and canola by selenium (Se) application. The principal aim of the research was to optimize the crop yield by eliciting the physio-biochemical attributes by alleviating the adverse effects of drought stress. Both crops were cultivated under control (normal irrigation) and drought stress (skipping irrigation at stages i.e., vegetative and reproductive) conditions. Four different treatments of Se viz., seed priming with Se (75 μM), foliar application of Se (7.06 μM), foliar application of Se + Seed priming with Se (7.06 μM and 75 μM, respectively) and control (without Se), were implemented at the vegetative and reproductive stages of both crops. Sodium selenite (Na2SeO3), an inorganic compound was used as Se sources for both seed priming and foliar application. Data regarding physiochemical, antioxidants, and yield components were recorded as response variables at crop maturity. Results indicated that WP, OP, TP, proline, TSS, TFAA, TPr, TS, total chlorophyll contents, osmoprotectant (GB, anthocyanin, TPC, and flavonoids), antioxidants (APX, SOD, POD, and CAT), and yield components (number of branches per plant, thousand seed weight, seed, and biological yields were significantly improved by foliar Se + priming Se in both crops under drought stress. Moreover, this treatment was also helpful in boosting yield attributes under irrigated (non-stress) conditions. Camelina genotypes responded better to Se application as seed priming and foliar spray than canola for both years. It has concluded that Se application (either foliar or priming) can potentially alleviate adverse effects of drought stress in camelina and canola by eliciting various physio-biochemicals attributes under drought stress. Furthermore, Se application was also helpful for crop health under irrigated condition.

Seed Priming with Sulfhydral Thiourea Enhances the Performance of Camelina sativa L. under Heat Stress Conditions

“…Variety 8046 has shown better performance in relation to plant growth attributes as compared to 7126, as plant height and root length were maximum in 8046 and minimum in 7126 (Table 1). The impact of heat stress-induced damages is cultivar-specific depending on the extent of tolerance based on various tolerance mechanisms including the cellular oxidative defenses in terms of the enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant compounds [58][59][60]. The endogenous content of photosynthetic pigments with CO 2 assimilation rate was also affected in heat susceptible variety (7126) as compared to heat resistant variety (8046), which is in line with the findings of [61].…”

Selenium Biofortification of Soybean Seeds Influences Physiological Responses of Seedlings to Osmotic Stress

“…rosularis ) [ 59 ]. Phenols have the ability to increase the antioxidant capacity and improve the ability of plants to alleviate oxidative stress [ 27 , 60 ]. Cultivar Sonja showed the highest level of FRAP across both PEG-2.5 and PEG-0 ( Figure 2 B).…”

“…Se is an essential element in animal cells and in the human body, but its importance for plants is still the subject of research [ 26 ]. The toxicity or benefits of Se are highly dependent on the amount of Se applied [ 27 ]. Low levels of Se can stimulate the antioxidant machinery in plants, but it acts as a prooxidant at high levels [ 28 ].…”

Recent Developments to Mitigate Selenium Deficiency in Agricultural Eco-Systems

“…Se is essential for living organisms, i.e., human and animal health, and the quality of animal products; it can also potentially improve plant growth and development along with the quality of agricultural products. Large-scale bio-augmentation programs that add Se to commercial fertilizers may be a very wasteful method that cannot be applied to most areas of our planet because a large amount of Se used in making them will be lost for future use [29]. Careful consideration of plant bio-enhancement is needed to avoid wastage of Se.…”