Enhancing Water Limitation Tolerance Of Tomato Plants Grown Under Water-limited Irrigation Regime by Maize Grain Embryos Extract Enriched with Some Bio-stimulant (MEEst).

Document Type : Original full papers (regular papers)

Authors

1 Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Fayoum University

2 Botany Department,Faculty of Science,Fayoum University

3 Botany Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University

Abstract

This study was conducted on the preventive measure of spraying tomato plants with a natural extract derived from maize grain embryos that is enriched with gibberellic acid (GA3), ascorbate (AsA), and selenium (Se) (MEEst) to guard against damage caused by water-limited stress (WL). Fully randomized factorial design was used to arrange the treatment with 7.5 or 15.0% MEEst and WL treatment (60% of soil relative water content; SRWC) versus 100% of SRWC (control), followed by measuring some physio-biochemical compounds and activities of some antioxidants enzymes. Significant reductions in WL conditions were observed in hormonal balance (indole acetic acid (IAA), GA3, zeatin-type cytokinins (Zeatin-CK), and cytokinins (CKs), as well as higher abscisic acid (ABA)), also, enhancing in the activities of enzymes (superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione reductase), increasing in low molecular mass antioxidant compounds (ascorbic acid (AsA), glutathione (GSH), and α-tocopherol (α-TOC)), and osmo-protectants, as a result of increasing reactive oxygen species; hydrogen peroxide radicals and superoxide increased. In other hand, treatment with 15.0% MEEst significantly improved hormonal balance (IAA, GA3, Zeatin-CK, CKs significantly increased by 37%, 53%, 69%, 59%, respectively, while ABA decreased by 47%), low molecular mass antioxidant compounds (AsA, GSH, and α-TOC increased by 32%, 47%, and 48%, respectively) and osmo-protectants (free proline, soluble sugars, glycine betaine, and total soluble protein contents increased by 51%, 43%, 23%, and 106%, respectively) under WL conditions. Finally, 15.0% MEEst concentration showed achievements than treatment with 7.5% MEEst.

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