Determination of Adequate Substrate Water Content for Mass Production of a High Value-Added Medicinal Plant, Crepidiastrum denticulatum (Houtt.) Pak &amp; Kawano

Song-Yi Park,Myung-Min Oh,Jongyun Kim

doi:10.3390/agronomy10030388

Determination of Adequate Substrate Water Content for Mass Production of a High Value-Added Medicinal Plant, Crepidiastrum denticulatum (Houtt.) Pak & Kawano

Song-Yi Park, Myung-Min Oh + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10030388

Copy DOI

Journal: Agronomy	Publication Date: Mar 12, 2020
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Chungbuk National University, Korea University

Abstract

The effects of substrate water content on the growth and content of bioactive compounds in Crepidiastrum denticulatum were evaluated. Three-week-old seedlings were subjected to four levels of substrate water content (20%, 30%, 45% and 60%) and maintained for 5 weeks. Growth parameters at 5 weeks of transplanting were significantly higher with the 45% substrate water content treatment than with the other treatments. In addition, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate increased significantly and the highest sap flow rate during the day was observed in 45% substrate water content. Total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity per shoot increased significantly with substrate water content, increasing from 20% to 45% and decreased again at 60%. Antioxidant capacity and total hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs) content per unit dry weight of plants under the 60% treatment were significantly higher than those under the 45% treatment; however, their content per shoot was the highest under the 45% treatment. Thus, 45% substrate water content is a suitable condition for the growth of C. denticulatum and had positive effects on phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and HCAs content. These results could be useful for the mass production of high-quality C. denticulatum in greenhouses or plant factories capable of controlling the water content of the root zone.

Highlights

Water is one of the crucial factors for plant growth and development accounting for 80%–90%and over 50% of the fresh weight of herbaceous and woody plants, respectively [1]
As substrate water content increased from 20% to 45%, fresh and dry weights of the shoot and root increased significantly, but decreased at 60%
In the early stage of soil drought and flooding stresses, root signals limit the movement of water and nutrients to the growing zones; these changes result in the collapse of the water potential gradient between the xylem and growing cells [16,17]

Summary

Introduction

Water is one of the crucial factors for plant growth and development accounting for 80%–90%and over 50% of the fresh weight of herbaceous and woody plants, respectively [1]. Water is one of the crucial factors for plant growth and development accounting for 80%–90%. Temporary water deficit in plants causes turgor loss and stomatal closure that inhibits basic metabolic processes, including photosynthesis. Excessive or constant water deficit generates reactive oxygen species (ROS). In plants, causing oxidative stress and photoinhibitory damage that eventually result in necrosis and programmed cell death [2,3,4]. Plants adapt to certain levels of water stress by promoting the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites with antioxidant properties. Water availability around the root zone directly affects the physiological and biochemical responses of plants. Controlling water content of the substrate is an important cultural practice that directly influences crop yield and quality in horticultural plant-production

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion