Abstract
Water-deficit stress is the most important environmental factors limiting plant growth, and production. Nano-titanium dioxide (nano anataseTiO2) can have various profound effects on the crop physiological, biochemical and morphological characteristics. In the present research, the influences of different concentrations ofTiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) (0, 10 and 40 ppm) and water-deficit stress on Dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) were investigated in a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Results showed that under normal irrigation, foliar application of 10 ppm TiO2 NPs increased plant shoot dry mass and essential oils content. Under water-deficit stress condition, plants treated with 10 ppm TiO2 NPs had more proline and much less H2O2 and malondialdehyde content as compared to untreated plants. Therefore, it can be concluded that proper concentration of TiO2 NPs probably can be used as an exogenous stimuli for improvement of shoot growth and essential oil content in plants. Furthermore, water-deficit stress-induced damages such as oxidative stress and membrane damage can be ameliorated by foliar application of TiO2 NPs at appropriate concentrations.
Highlights
Dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica L.), a family, has antioxidative properties and can be perennial aromatic herb belonging to Lamiaceae used as food and cosmetic related preservativesActa agriculturae Slovenica, 107 - 2, september 2016 str. 385 - 396(Dastmalchi et al, 2007)
It has been demonstrated that high concentrations of the NPs which are toxic for the plants may have positive effects on physiological performance of plants in low concentrations (Khodakovskaya and Lahiani, 2014)
Since inward flows of CO2 to leaf mesophyll cells would be diminished upon stomata closure, drought stress-related increase in essential oil content is usually concomitant with decrease in growth and biomass production resulting in no overall changes of essential oils content in aromatic herbs
Summary
Dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica L.), a family, has antioxidative properties and can be perennial aromatic herb belonging to Lamiaceae used as food and cosmetic related preservativesActa agriculturae Slovenica, 107 - 2, september 2016 str. 385 - 396(Dastmalchi et al, 2007). The most common plant responses to drought stress are stomata closure and overproduction of different types of secondary metabolites in order to prevent water losses and oxidative damage, respectively (Serraj and Sinclair, 2002). Under severe drought stress condition, plant cells undergo oxidative damage due to production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). Parts of these free radicals may be detoxified by antioxidant enzyme such as super oxide dismutase producing H2O2. An increased synthesis of essential oils in response to drought stress is reported in aromatic plants (Kleinwachter et al, 2015). These metabolites may contribute to prevent damage caused by free radicals. Drought stressrelated increase in the concentration of essential oils may be compensated by the related loss in biomass, resulting in almost the same overall essential oil content in both drought-stressed and well-watered plants (Selmar and Kleinwachter, 2013)
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