Study of Potassium inducing Iron toxicity tolerance in rice: morphology, biochemical estimation, interaction between NAS3 and FER protein

Excessive iron absorption by rice plants often suffers from iron (Fe) toxicity and mineral nutrient deficiency which influences the rice yield. High amount of Fe, generates reactive oxygen species which is the major damage causing agent to the cellular components and induces membrane lipid peroxidation. Antioxidants like Catalase (CAT) and Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) give tolerance to the rice plants by reducing toxic free-radicals induced by Fe2+. Application of potassium (K) can improve plant the oxidation status and this study is based on the biological responses, protein and their respective gene expressions at the same time, to enlarge the ameliorative effect of K+. Seven days old Rice seedlings were exposed to 750 ppm of FeSO4.7H2O and treated with 100–200 ppm of KCl for futher 14 days. Estimation of shoot and root length, Chlorophyll pigments, reducing sugar content, starch content, lipid peroxidation, CAT and APX along with FTIR were carried out to analysis the ameliorative effect of potassium against Fe toxicity in the treated rice seedlings. The interaction between NAS 3 with FER was also found in the STRING database. The gene expression and protein bands were also showed the interaction of NAS 3 with FER was also induced with the exogenous application of potassium against Fe toxicity in the seedlings of the locally cultivable rice varieties of West Bengal.