Open Access

ARTICLE

Application of Polygonum minus Extract in Enhancing Drought Tolerance in Maize by Regulating Osmotic and Antioxidant System

Mingzhao Han¹, Susilawati Kasim^1,*, Zhongming Yang², Xi Deng², Md Kamal Uddin¹, Noor Baity Saidi³, Effyanti Mohd Shuib¹

1 Department of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, 43400, Malaysia
2 Natural Medicines and Products Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, 43400, Malaysia
3 Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, 43400, Malaysia

* Corresponding Author: Susilawati Kasim. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: New Approaches to Mitigate Abiotic and Biotic Stresses for Improving Crop Productivity and Quality)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2024, 93(2), 213-226. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.047150

Received 27 October 2023; Accepted 11 December 2023; Issue published 27 February 2024

Abstract

Drought stress is a major factor affecting plant growth and crop yield production. Plant extracts as natural biostimulants hold great potential to strengthen plants to overcome drought impacts. To explore the effect of Polygonum minus extract (PME) in enhancing drought tolerance in plants, a study was set up in a glasshouse environment using 10 different treatment combinations. PME foliar application were designed in CRD and effects were closely observed related to the growth, physiology, and antioxidant system changes in maize (Zea mays L.) under well-watered and drought conditions. The seaweed extract (SWE) was used as a comparison. Plants subjected to drought stress exhibited a significant reduction in fresh weight, dry weight, relative water content (RWC), and soluble sugar, but they stimulated the phenolic, flavonoid, proline, glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzyme (catalase, CAT; peroxidase, POD; superoxide dismutase, SOD) activities. Foliar application of PME improved fresh and dry weight (FW: 33.1%~41.4%; DW: 48.0%~43.1%), chlorophyll content (Chl b: 87.9%~100.76%), soluble sugar (23.6%~49.3%), and soluble protein (48.6%~56.9%) as well as antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT and POD) compared to CK under drought conditions. while decreasing the level of MDA. Notably, the mitigating effect of PME application with high concentration was more effective than those of SWE. Our study reveals that PME could alleviate drought stress by regulating osmoprotectant content and antioxidant defense system and can be used as an economical and environmentally friendly biostimulants for promoting maize growth under drought stress.

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