Physiological Response of Maize Plants (Zea mays L.) to the Use of the Potassium Quercetin Derivative.

Dagmara Migut,Tomasz Piechowiak,Marta Jańczak-Pieniążek,Maciej Balawejder,Jan Buczek

doi:10.3390/ijms22147384

Dagmara Migut, Tomasz Piechowiak + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22147384

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Abstract

Plant production technologies based solely on the improvement of plants themselves face obstacles resulting from the natural limitations of the biological potential of varieties. Therefore, new substances are sought that positively influence the growth and development of plants and increase resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses, which also translates into an increase in obtained yields. The exogenous application of various phytoprotectants shows great promise in terms of cost effectiveness compared to traditional breeding methods or transgenic approaches in relation to increasing plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. Quercetin is a strong antioxidant among phenolic compounds, and it plays a physiological and biochemical role in plants. As such, the aim of this research was to assess the effect of an aqueous solution of a quercetin derivative with potassium, applied in various concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, 3.0% and 5.0%), on the efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus and biochemical properties of maize. Among the tested variants, compared to the control, the most stimulating effect on the course of physiological processes (PN, gs, ci, CCI, Fv/Fm, Fv/F0, PI) in maize leaves was found in 3.0 and 5.0% aqueous solutions of the quercetin derivative. The highest total antioxidant capacity and total content of polyphenolic compounds were found for plants sprayed with 5.0% quercetin derivative solution; therefore, in this study, the optimal concentration could not be clearly selected.

Highlights

In the 21st century, efficient crops will play a major role in increasing yields compared to the 20th century
Abiotic stresses such as extreme temperatures, salinity, drought, nutrient deficiency or excess, metals and metalloids in the soil and UV radiation are among the major threats to agricultural productivity worldwide
The antioxidant defence system is highly effective in detoxifying overproduced reactive oxygen species (ROS), and consists of enzyme compounds (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione S-transferase (GST)), as well as non-enzymatic components (ascorbate (AsA), glutathione (GSH), carotenoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, flavanones and anthocyanins) [16]

Summary

Introduction

In the 21st century, efficient crops will play a major role in increasing yields compared to the 20th century. Regardless of the direction of maize cultivation, modern agriculture is looking for technological solutions aimed at increasing yields while improving their quality [5,6] Abiotic stresses such as extreme temperatures, salinity, drought, nutrient deficiency or excess, metals and metalloids in the soil and UV radiation are among the major threats to agricultural productivity worldwide. They can affect almost all metabolic processes in plants [7,8,9,10,11], which are able to detect environmental stimuli and adapt to different environments. A plant’s capacity for genetic self-defence is not sufficient to fully it from stress-induced damage

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