Plant Stress
Fatemeh Sheikh Abol-hasani; Parto Roshandel
Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the effects of NaCl priming to increase salt tolerance in Dracocephalum moldavica L. an experiment was conducted as factorial based on completely randomized design at Shahrekord University. Research method: Seeds of medicinal plant D. moldavica were primed with NaCl (1 M/ for 24 ...
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Purpose: To evaluate the effects of NaCl priming to increase salt tolerance in Dracocephalum moldavica L. an experiment was conducted as factorial based on completely randomized design at Shahrekord University. Research method: Seeds of medicinal plant D. moldavica were primed with NaCl (1 M/ for 24 h/ at darkness/ under 25˚C) and then 30-day-old plants were introduced to salinity (0, 100 and 150 mM NaCl) for one month. The analyzed parameters consisted of dry weight, leaf area, total water content, leaf relative water content, electrolyte leakage, lipid peroxidation, photosynthetic pigments concentrations, total phenolic content and the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Main findings: NaCl-priming alleviated the injurious effects of salinity in the salinized plants. The biomass increased up to 64.5% and 3-fold at 100 and 150 mM NaCl, compared to exclusively salinity. Ion leakage and lipid peroxidation decreased as well. Moreover, NaCl-priming led to increase leaf area, improve water status, photosynthetic pigments content and antioxidant enzymes activities in favor of improving the biomass of salinized D. moldavica. Total phenolic content increased by salinity alone, but NaCl-priming markedly decreased it at normal condition. The pattern of polyphenols concentration and accumulation was different under NaCl-priming + salinity treatment. Limitations: No special limitations were founded. Originality/Value: Seed priming with NaCl enhanced salt tolerance in D. moldavica through improving water status and photosynthesis, protection of cellular membrane integrity and changes in antioxidant enzyme activity. Alternation in polyphenols concentration might be a signature of changes in the medicinal properties of different parts of this medicinal plant.
Plant Propagation
Ha V. H. Nguyen; Duyen H. H. Nguyen
Abstract
Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of nano-chitosan and chitosan coating on physico-chemical properties of strawberries during storage. Research methods: Fresh strawberries were coated with different concentrations of chitosan (1%, 1.5%. 2%) or nano-chitosan (0.2%, 0.4%, and ...
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Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of nano-chitosan and chitosan coating on physico-chemical properties of strawberries during storage. Research methods: Fresh strawberries were coated with different concentrations of chitosan (1%, 1.5%. 2%) or nano-chitosan (0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.8%) and stored in 20C for 21 days. Findings: Coatingstrawberry with0.2% and 0.4% nano-chitosan preserved the overall quality index of the fruit up to 21 days. The treatments reduced weight loss, retained firmness, titratable acidity and L-ascorbic acid, significantly retarded malondialdehyde production and inhibited polyphenol oxidase activity of the stored fruit. The 0.2% nano-chitosan treatment reserved total soluble solid and total anthocyanin content better than the 0.4% nano-chitosan. Although 2% chitosan coating showed the positive effects, the overall quality index of the coated fruit was reduced below the acceptable level after 18 days, shorter as compared to the others coated with the lower concentrations of nano-chitosan. Research Limitations: Nano-chitosan, showing to be the effective coating material in this study, is not popular traded in the industry. Originality/Value: The combination of 0.2 % nano-chitosan coating and storing fresh strawberry at 2°C preserved the quality of fruits up to 21 days. The much lower concentrations of nano-chitosan showed higher positive effects as compared to the higher concentrations of chitosan. This would help to reduce the cost of postharvest handlings for the strawberry industry.
