Abstract
The aim of this research is to determine the physiological responses of tomato seedlings treated with 24-epibrassinolide (EBL), given via different methods such as immersion, irrigation, and foliar spray, followed by inoculation of root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White, 1919) Chitwood, 1949 (Tylenchida: Meloidogynidae). Physiological measurements (chlorophyll, flavonols, nitrogen balance index, and anthocyanins) were carried out non-destructively with a portable chlorophyll meter at the end of the 56th days post inoculation. Results showed that chlorophyll contents of the tomato leaves were affected by both the EBL applications and the methods, and that they were better protected with the irrigation method. Flavonols and nitrogen balance index were inversely related with the method. Leaf anthocyanin index was affected just by the EBL applications. Depending on the physiological aspect under observation, the method (immersion against irrigation, for instance) might present a challenging status in terms of evoking protection against root-knot nematode when tomato plants are treated with EBL.
Highlights
Responses of plants to stress factors are elucidated through assessment of changes in morphology, biochemistry, and genetics
The current study found that brassinosteroids application protected the N reserve of the nematode infested plants at the lowest concentration of EBL
Studies on brassinosteroids mostly involve its effects on growth and development, and stress responses, to abiotic factors. the physiological response of the tomato plant differs with the application method that EBL was given to plants
Summary
Responses of plants to stress factors are elucidated through assessment of changes in morphology, biochemistry, and genetics. Detrimental consequences occurring after a biotic or abiotic stress can be alleviated through the utilization of synthetic elicitors (Llorens et al 2017), chemical compounds activating plant’s reaction to sustain health and productivity (Ramirez-Godoy et al 2018). Brassinosteroids are among these elicitors, and they have been proven by various research to stimulate antioxidant defense mechanism of a plant against numerous abiotic factors (Jan et al 2018). They were found to mitigate fungus-related deleterious influences in cotton (Bibi et al 2017), cucumber (Ding et al 2009) and barley (Ali et al 2013)
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