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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Abiotic Stress
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1427420
This article is part of the Research Topic Insights on Agricultural Modulators for Mitigating Water Stress in Cultivated Plants View all articles

EXOGENOUS APPLICATION OF SELENIUM ON SUNFLOWER (HELIANTHUS ANNUUS

Provisionally accepted
Muaz Ameen Muaz Ameen 1Muhammad A. Zia Muhammad A. Zia 1Hussam F. Najeeb Alawadi Hussam F. Najeeb Alawadi 2Maria Naqve Maria Naqve 1Athar Mahmood Athar Mahmood 1*Ahamad N. Shahzad Ahamad N. Shahzad 3Bilal A. Khan Bilal A. Khan 4Bushra A. Alhammad Bushra A. Alhammad 5Maha Aljabri Maha Aljabri 6Dr. Mahmoud F. Seleiman Dr. Mahmoud F. Seleiman 7
  • 1 University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
  • 2 University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al Diwaniyah, Al-Qādisiyyah, Iraq
  • 3 Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan
  • 4 University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan
  • 5 Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
  • 6 Umm al-Qura University, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
  • 7 King Saud University, Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Drought stress poses a significant obstacle to agricultural productivity, particularly in the case of oilseed-crops such as sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Selenium (Se) is a fundamental micro-nutrient that has been recognized for its ability to enhance plant resilience in the face of various environmental stresses. The FH-770 sunflower variety was cultivated in pots subjected to three stress levels (100% FC, 75% FC, and 50% FC), four Se application rates (0 ppm, 30 ppm, 60 ppm, and 90 ppm). This research aimed to investigate the effect of exogenously applied Se on morpho-physiological and biochemical attributes of sunflower to improve the drought tolerance. Foliar Se application significantly lowered H2O2 (Hydrogen peroxide; ROS) (20.89%) accumulation that markedly improved glycine betaine (GB) (74.46%), total soluble protein (Pro) (68.63%), improved accumulation of ascorbic acid (AA) (25.51%), total phenolics (TP) (39.34%), flavonoids (Flv) (73.16%) and anthocyanin (Ant) (83.73%) and activity of antioxidant system superoxide dismutase (SOD) (157.63%), peroxidase (POD) (100.20%), catalase (CAT) (49.87%) which ultimately improved the sunflower growth by 36.65% during drought stress. Supplemental Se significantly increased shoot Se content (93.86%) and improved calcium (Ca 2+ ), potassium (K + ) and sodium (Na + ) ions in roots by 36.16%, 42.68%, and 63.40% respectively. Selenium supplements at lower concentrations (60 and 90 ppm) promoted the growth, development, and biochemical attributes of sunflowers in controlled and water deficit circumstances. However, selenium treatment improved photosynthetic efficiency, plant growth, enzymatic activities, osmoregulation, biochemical characteristics, and nutrient balance. The mechanisms and molecular processes through which Se induces these modifications need further investigation to be properly identified.

    Keywords: Se0, 0ppm Selenium, Se1, 30ppm Selenium, Se2, 60ppm Selenium, Se3, 90ppm Selenium, Ant, Anthocyanin, AsA, ascorbic acid, Ca2+, calcium ions, Car, carotenoids

    Received: 03 May 2024; Accepted: 26 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: Âİ 2024 Ameen, Zia, Najeeb Alawadi, Naqve, Mahmood, Shahzad, Khan, Alhammad, Aljabri and Seleiman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Athar Mahmood, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

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