Effects of Salicylic Acid on Fatty Acid Gene Expression in Carthamus tinctorious L. cv. Dinçer under Pendimethalin Stress

Abstract

Pendimethalin is a member of the dinitroaniline class herbicide. It used to control most annual grasses and many annual broad-leaved weeds. Salicylic acid acts as an endogenous signal molecule in charge of inducing environmental stress tolerance in plants. Omega-3 fatty acid desaturase is a key enzyme for α-linolenic acid biosynthesis. Here, we searched to understand the beneficial impacts of salicylic acid on fatty acid desaturase gene (FAD3 and FAD7) expression during pendimethalin stress in safflower (Carthamus tinctorious cv. “Dinçer). In this study, 0.004 and 0.01 M pendimethalin was applied to safflower plants grown under controlled climatic conditions in 36 pots. 0.05 mM salicylic acid was applied to the samples where pendimethalin was applied. After application, gene expression analyze were performed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The floor change between the test and control groups was calculated with the formula 2 ^ (delta delta CT). The change between gene expression levels was evaluated by t test (p <0.05). FAD3 and FAD7 expression levels decreased at low pendimethalin concentration. A down-regulation in FAD3 expression was observed in high pendimethalin stress, while an up-regulation in FAD7 expression was detected. Salicylic acid had a ameliorative effect on the negative effect of pendimethalin stress on FAD3 and FAD7 gene expression.