Nitrogen Nutrition Differentially Affects Concentrations of Photosynthetic Pigments and Antioxidant Compounds in Mexican Marigold ( Tagetes erecta L.)

María Guadalupe Peralta-Sánchez, Fernando C. Gómez-Merino, Olga Tejeda-Sartorius and Libia I. Trejo-Téllez ()
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María Guadalupe Peralta-Sánchez: Laboratory of Plant Nutrition, Department of Soil Science, College of Postgraduates in Agricultural Sciences Campus Montecillo, Montecillo, Texcoco 56264, State of Mexico, Mexico
Fernando C. Gómez-Merino: Department of Genetic Resources and Productivity-Plant Physiology, College of Postgraduates in Agricultural Sciences Campus Montecillo, Montecillo, Texcoco 56264, State of Mexico, Mexico
Olga Tejeda-Sartorius: Genetic Resources and Productivity-Fruticulture, College of Postgraduates in Agricultural Sciences Campus Montecillo, Montecillo, Texcoco 56264, State of Mexico, Mexico
Libia I. Trejo-Téllez: Laboratory of Plant Nutrition, Department of Soil Science, College of Postgraduates in Agricultural Sciences Campus Montecillo, Montecillo, Texcoco 56264, State of Mexico, Mexico

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: Nitrogen is a major plant macronutrient and its supply affects the entire metabolism of plants. This study evaluated the effect of different nitrogen concentrations in the nutrient solution: 0, 4.2, 8.4, and 12.6 mg L −1 Mexican marigold ( Tagetes erecta L.) var. Inca plants in an open soilless culture system under greenhouse conditions on the concentration of chlorophylls, carotenoids, phenolics, and flavonoids derived from the secondary metabolism, as well as on the antioxidant activity in different tissues. With the 12.6 mg N L −1 dose, chlorophylls a, b, and total chlorophyll concentrations increased by 98.8, 11.9, and 56.6%, respectively. The highest concentrations of total carotenoids in flowers, 28–30%, were recorded in plants with doses of 8.4 mg N L −1 . With doses of 12.6 mg N L −1 , phenolic compounds and total flavonoids increased in leaves, but decreased in flowers. The low and medium N concentrations increased the antioxidant activity with respect to the control without N by 53% and 50.2%, respectively. We conclude that the applications of N in Tagetes erecta differentially affected the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments and biomolecules with antioxidant capacity, and that such effects were dependent on the doses of N tested and the plant organ evaluated.

Keywords: Asteraceae; secondary metabolites; nitrogen; Tagetes erecta L. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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