Journal Article

Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil enhances salt stress tolerance of durum wheat seedlings through ROS detoxification and stimulation of antioxidant defense

Čmiková, Natália, Ben Saad, Rania, Baazaoui, Narjes, Alfaifi, Mohammad Y, Kačániová, Miroslava, Ben Hsouna, Anis, Ben Romdhane, Walid, Garzoli, Stefania, Taieb Bouteraa, Mohamed, Chouaibi, Yosra, Wiszniewska, Alina

2024

Overview

Salt-induced stress poses a significant barrier to agricultural productivity by impeding crop growth. Presently, environmentalists are dedicated to safeguarding food security by enhancing agricultural yields in challenging environments. Biostimulants play a crucial role in mitigating abiotic stresses in crop production, and among these, plant essential oils (EOs) stand out as organic substances with diverse biological effects on living organisms. Among the natural promoters of plant growth, Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil (RoEO) has gained considerable attention. Although the manifold effects of essential oils (EOs) on plant growth have been extensively demonstrated, their impact on salt stress tolerance in durum wheat seedlings remains unexplored. This investigation was undertaken to evaluate the biostimulatory capabilities of RoEO on the durum wheat cultivar “Mahmoudi.” The effects of three RoEO concentrations (1, 2.5, and 5 ppm) on seed germination, growth establishment, and the induction of salt resistance under salinity conditions (150 mM NaCl) were tested. At 5 ppm, RoEO enhanced seedlings’ tolerance to salinity by improving growth and reducing membrane deterioration and oxidative stress-induced damage. The expression profile analyses of seven stress-related genes (TdNHX1, TdSOS1, TdSOD, TdCAT, TdGA20-ox1, TdNRT2.1, and TdGS) using RT-qPCR showed enhancement of several important genes in durum wheat seedlings treated with 5 ppm RoEO, even under control conditions, which may be related to salt stress tolerance. The results indicate that the application of RoEO suggests a possible alternative strategy to increase salt tolerance in durum wheat seedlings towards better growth quality, thus increasing ROS scavenging and activation of antioxidant defense.

• Publisher: Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Abiotic stress / Antioxidants / Crop production / Cultivars / Detoxification / Essential oils / Food plants / Food security / Gene expression / Oils & fats / Oxidative stress / Plant growth / Rosmarinus officinalis / Salinity / Salinity effects / Salinity tolerance / Seed germination / Seedlings / Sodium chloride / Triticum durum / Wheat