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FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
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Abstract: |
Introduction: Osmoprotectant supplementation can be used as a useful
approach to enhance plant stress tolerance. However, the effect of silymarin
and clove fruit extract (CFE) on wheat plants grown under cadmium (Cd) stress
has not been studied.
Methods: Wheat seeds were planted in plastic pots filled with ions-free sand. A
½-strength Hoagland’s nutrient solution was used for irrigation. Pots were treated
with eight treatments thirteen days after sowing: 1) Control, 2) 0.5 mM silymarin
foliar application [silymarin], 3) 2% CFE foliar application [CFE], 4) CFE enriched with
silymarin (0.24 g silymarin L-1 of CFE) [CFE-silymarin], 5) Watering wheat seedlings
with a nutritious solution of 2 mM Cd [Cd]. 6) Cadmium + silymarin, 7) Cadmium +
CFE, and 8) Cadmium + CFE-silymarin. The experimental design was a completely
randomized design with nine replicates.
Results and discussion: The Cd stress decreased grain yield, shoot dry weight,
leaf area, carotenoids, chlorophylls, stomatal conductance, net photosynthetic
rate, transpiration rate, membrane stability index, nitrogen, phosphorus, and
potassium content by 66.9, 60.6, 56.7, 23.8, 33.5, 48.1, 41.2, 48.7, 42.5, 24.1, 39.9,
and 24.1%, respectively. On the other hand, Cd has an Application of CFE,
silymarin, or CEF-silymarin for wheat plants grown under Cd stress,
significantly improved all investigated biochemical, morphological, and
physiological variables and enhanced the antioxidant enzyme activities.
Applying CFE and/or silymarin enhanced plant tolerance to Cd stress more
efficiently. Our findings suggest using CFE-silymarin as a meaningful
biostimulator for wheat plants to increase wheat plants’ tolerance to Cd stress
via enhancing various metabolic and physiological processes.
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