1. Amelioration of cadmium stress in gladiolus ( Gladiolus grandiflora L.) by application of potassium and silicon.
- Author
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Zaheer, Malik Muhammad, Yasin, Nasim Ahmad, Ahmad, Sajid Rashid, Khan, Waheed Ullah, Ahmad, Aqeel, Ali, Aamir, and Rehman, Shafiq Ur
- Subjects
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EFFECT of cadmium on plants , *GLADIOLUS , *EFFECT of potassium on plants , *PLANT nutrients , *PLANT-soil relationships - Abstract
Gladiolus corms were grown in media contaminated with cadmium (Cd) (50 mg kg−1) and supplemented with silicon (Si) and potassium (K). The role of Si and K for mitigation of Cd toxicity was evaluated. Cd-induced stress generated significantly increased level of oxidative stress markers including hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in gladiolus. The application of K and Si improved the production of protein and proline in the treated plants. Moreover, K and Si supplemented plants exhibited an improvement in the activity of antioxidant enzymes and a reduction in the level of MDA, H2O2and Cd uptake under Cd stress. Application of K and Si also enhanced the uptake of mineral nutrients including calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), sulfur (S) and K. The plants supplemented with K and Si exhibited a higher amount of total phenolics and flavonoids. The combined effect of Si and K was more pronounced regarding beneficial effects on gladiolus plants compared to individual effect of these elements under Cd stress. The current research reveals that Si and K may improve gladiolus growth by decreasing the oxidative stress and Cd uptake and by increasing the activity of antioxidant defense enzymes, the quantity of secondary metabolites and plant nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2018
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