Abstract
ABSTRACTThe present study was undertaken to identify the aluminum (Al) tolerant cultivar of Brassica juncea. We examined the changes in antioxidant enzymes, proline level, chlorophyll a fluorescence and psb A gene expression at vegetative and reproductive growth stages of B. juncea cultivars (Bio-902, CS-14, Pusa-Tarak and Laxmi). The selected cultivars were exposed to soil (pH 5.2) supplemented with Al (0, 50, 100 and 150 mg kg−1). We observed the lowest decline in photosynthetic efficiency (ΔF/Fm′), ETR, PPFD values and psb A expression to Al stress in the cultivar Bio-902 (tolerant cultivar) followed by CS-14 and Pusa-Tarak whereas the highest decline was observed in the cultivar Laxmi (sensitive cultivar). The improved performance of the cultivar Bio-902 under Al stress was accompanied by an increase in proline level, CAT and APX activities but without any increase in SOD activity. However, significant increase in SOD activity was observed in Laxmi.
Highlights
In soil, aluminum (Al) is one of the abundant metals which contributes to approximately 7% of the earth’s crust
We observed the lowest decline in photosynthetic efficiency (ΔF/Fm′), electron transport (ETR), photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) values and psb A expression to Al stress in the cultivar Bio-902 followed by CS-14 and Pusa-Tarak whereas the highest decline was observed in the cultivar Laxmi
The experiments were performed to study the effect of Al stress on various parameters of chlorophyll a fluorescence, antioxidants level and the psb A gene expression at both vegetative and reproductive growth stages of B. juncea cultivars (Bio-902, CS-14, Pusa-Tarak and Laxmi)
Summary
Aluminum (Al) is one of the abundant metals which contributes to approximately 7% of the earth’s crust. Despite huge crop losses due to Al toxicity, currently no effective strategies are available for Al removal and improved crop production in Al contaminated soil. In this context, identification and cultivation of Al-tolerant cultivars may be one such solution that leads to increased agricultural production in acidic soil. Chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters were used to measure the damage caused to photosystem II (Maxwell and Johnson 2000) and tolerance capacity of a cultivar under adverse environmental conditions (Li et al 2006; Mittal et al 2012; Batra et al 2014; Baunthiyal and Sharma 2014). Chlorophyll a fluorescence is a reliable parameter for measuring tolerance potential of crop cultivars as it is non-invasive, easy and instantaneous as well as more precise and sensitive in comparison to many other methods
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