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Foliar Application of Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic Acid (EDTA) Improves the Growth and Yield of Brown Mustard (Brassica juncea) by Modulating Photosynthetic Pigments, Antioxidant Defense, and Osmolyte Production under Lead (Pb) Stress

Authors :
Rafia Urooj Saman
Muhammad Shahbaz
Muhammad Faisal Maqsood
Nian Lili
Usman Zulfiqar
Fasih Ullah Haider
Nargis Naz
Babar Shahzad
Source :
Plants, Vol 12, Iss 1, p 115 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2022.

Abstract

Lead (Pb) toxicity imposes several morphological and biochemical changes in plants grown in Pb-contaminated soils. Application of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) in mitigating heavy metal stress has already been studied. However, the role of EDTA in mitigating heavy metal stress, especially in oilseed crops, is less known. Therefore, the study aimed to explore the potential effect of foliar application of 2.5 mM EDTA on two different varieties of Brassica juncea L., i.e., Faisal (V1) and Rohi (V2), with and without 0.5 mM Lead acetate [Pb(C2H3O2)2] treatment. Statistical analysis revealed that Pb stress was harmful to the plant. It caused a considerable decrease in the overall biomass (56.2%), shoot and root length (21%), yield attributes (20.16%), chlorophyll content (35.3%), total soluble proteins (12.9%), and calcium (61.7%) and potassium (40.9%) content of the plants as compared to the control plants. However, the foliar application of EDTA alleviated the adverse effects of Pb in both varieties. EDTA application improved the morphological attributes (67%), yield (29%), and photosynthetic pigments (80%). Positive variations in the antioxidant activity, ROS, and contents of total free amino acid, anthocyanin, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid, even under Pb stress, were prominent. EDTA application further improved their presence in the brown mustard verifying it as a more stress-resistant plant. It was deduced that the application of EDTA had significantly redeemed the adverse effects of Pb, leaving room for further experimentation to avoid Pb toxification in the mustard oil and the food chain.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
22237747
Volume :
12
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Plants
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.6fc2669a31cc48bd8f6e1f2cac935efd
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12010115