Chemometric analysis of N,N-dimethyl formamide-induced phytotoxicity in rice seedlings

Abstract

Physiological responses of rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. XZX 45) seedlings to N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) were evaluated using chemometric modeling. Thirteen selected physiological parameters of the plants were monitored to evaluate the phytotoxicity from DMF exposure. The data matrix was further treated with cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). Cluster analysis (CA) rendered two distinct clusters, suggesting different responses to DMF exposure between the root and shoot. PCA results suggested that relative growth rate (RGR), water use efficiency (WUE), malondialdehyde (MDA), soluble sugar (SS), proline, protein, Evan blue uptake (EBU), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) were dominant in root tissues, whereas carotenoids and total chlorophyll were most common in the shoot of DMF-treated rice seedlings. Additionally, analysis of red list index (RLI) was conducted to calculate the sensitivity index among all selected parameters in the shoots and roots at DMF EC10 and EC50 concentrations. The most sensitive parameter to DMF exposure in the shoots was proline and RGR at EC50 concentration, whereas it was EBU in root tissues. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and CAT activities were the most sensitive parameters to DMF stress in the roots and shoots at EC10 concentration, respectively. Chemometric analysis suggested that DMF exposure caused phytotoxic stress to young rice seedlings, but plant tissues responded differently.