Shahed University

Evaluation of Morphological Characteristics, Yield Components and Biochemical Indices in Three Populations of Balangu (Lallemantia royleana Benth.) Under Drought Stress

F Pirjalili | Heshmat Omidi | K Ahmadi
URL :   http://research.shahed.ac.ir/WSR/WebPages/Report/PaperView.aspx?PaperID=137805
Date :  2020/12/27
Publish in :    علوم باغباني - علوم و صنايع کشاورزي


Keywords :Evaluation of Morphological Characteristics, Yield Components and Biochemical Indices in Three Populations of Balangu (Lallemantia royleana Benth.) Under Drought Stress

Abstract :
Water deficit is one of the major abiotic stresses, which adversely affects crop growth and yield. Plants use two different strategies including avoidance and tolerance to grow under drought stress. In avoidant species, plants are able to have a normal growth, which is due to: 1) efficient and fast metabolism, 2) high uptake of water and nutrients, and 3) little production of secondary metabolites under deficient water conditions. However, in tolerant plant species, they maintain their regular growth, under drought stress, by: 1) adjustment of osmotic potential, 2) changes in cell wall properties, and 3) production of antioxidants and secondary metabolites. However, under prolong drought, and irrespective of plant type, plant produces higher rate of secondary metabolites, as a non-enzymatic mechanism. Such products are able to maintain plant activities, under oxidative stress, and in the presence of high rate of reactive oxygen species. Medicinal plants, including Balangu (Lallemantia royleana Benth.), are cropped in different parts of the world including Iran for food and biodiesel purposes. Investigating the effects of drought stress on the production of secondary compounds by medicinal plants is an important issue. According to the research work drought stress increases the production of secondary compounds affecting the quality of medicinal plants. This must be considered when developing tolerant medical plants under stress, especially if the quality of medical plants is of higher importance than their quantity. The tolerance of medicinal plant species is different under stress. Due to the importance of drought and its effects on the growth and the quality of medicinal plants, in this research work the effects of stress intensity and plant species on the growth and physiology (including the medicinal contents) of Balangu plants were investigated. It is because, to our knowledge, there are not much data on such effects. The objectives were to investigate the effects of drought stress on: 1) Balangu growth and yield, and 2) Balangu physiology including the activities of morphological traits, yield components and oil yield and antioxidant enzyme the production of affecting plant medicinal contents. Materials and Methods This study was conducted to investigate grain yield, yield components, and superoxide dismutase enzyme in three populations of Balangu Shirazi (Lallemantia royleana Benth.) Under drought stress. This study was conducted as a split plot experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications at the research plant of Shahed University in 2013-2014. The main factor consisted of four levels of drought stress (soil moisture content of -0.5, -3.5, -6.5 and -9 atm) and three Balangu Shirazi populations (Mashhad, Kerman and Taleghan) as sub-factors were considered. The main factor included drought stress levels at four levels (soil moisture content of -0.5, -3.5, -6.5 and -9 atm) and three Balangu Shirazi populations (Mashhad, Kerman and Taleghan) were considered as sub-plots. Measured traits including root length, plant height, fresh and dry weight per plant, grain yield, components grain yield, mucilage percent and yield. In order to study morphological traits, seven plants of each plot was selected with due consideration of margins. To determine yield components are calculated, about four square meters per plot was harvested at maturity. The ROS scavengers are antioxidant enzymes containing superoxide dismutase. Information obtained through the statistical program SAS 9.12 for analysis and the means were compared by Duncans multiple range test in 5 level. Results and Discussion A set of yield and biochemical properties of three different species of Balangu medicinal plant as affected by drought levels were determined. According to the analysis of variance the yield and biochemical properties of Balangu were significantly affected by drought, and there were significant differences between the