Biochemical Response of Okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus L.) to Selenium (Se) under Drought Stress

Jawad Ali, Ibadullah Jan, Hidayat Ullah, Shah Fahad (), Shah Saud, Muhammad Adnan (), Baber Ali, Ke Liu, Matthew Tom Harrison, Shah Hassan, Sunjeet Kumar, Muhammad Amjad Khan, Muhammad Kamran, Mona S. Alwahibi and Mohamed S. Elshikh
Additional contact information
Jawad Ali: Department of Agriculture, University of Swabi, Swabi 23561, Pakistan
Ibadullah Jan: Department of Agriculture, University of Swabi, Swabi 23561, Pakistan
Hidayat Ullah: Department of Agriculture, University of Swabi, Swabi 23561, Pakistan
Shah Fahad: Department of Agronomy, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
Shah Saud: College of Life Science, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, China
Muhammad Adnan: Department of Agriculture, University of Swabi, Swabi 23561, Pakistan
Baber Ali: Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Ke Liu: Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Newnham Drive, Launceston, TAS 7248, Australia
Matthew Tom Harrison: Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Newnham Drive, Launceston, TAS 7248, Australia
Shah Hassan: Department of Agricultural Extension Education & Communication, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar 25130, Pakistan
Sunjeet Kumar: Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, School of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Muhammad Amjad Khan: Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Muhammad Kamran: State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Mona S. Alwahibi: Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed S. Elshikh: Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: Drought stress restricts the growth of okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus L.) by disrupting its biochemical and physiological functions. The current study was conducted to evaluate the role of selenium (0, 1, 2, and 3 mg Se L −1 as a foliar application) in improving okra tolerance to drought (control (100% field capacity-FC), mild stress (70% FC), and severe stress (35% FC)) imposed 30 days after sowing (DAS). Drought (severe) markedly decreased chlorophyll (32.21%) and carotenoid (39.6%) contents but increased anthocyanin (40%), proline (46.8%), peroxidase (POD by 12.5%), ascorbate peroxidase (APX by 11.9%), and catalase (CAT by 14%) activities. Overall, Se application significantly alleviated drought stress-related biochemical disturbances in okra. Mainly, 3 mg Se L −1 significantly increased chlorophyll (21%) as well as anthocyanin (15.14%), proline (18.16%), and antioxidant activities both under drought and control conditions. Selenium played a beneficial role in reducing damage caused by oxidative stress, enhancing chlorophyll and antioxidants contents, and improved plant tolerance to drought stress. Therefore, crops including okra especially, must be supplemented with 3 mg L −1 foliar Se for obtaining optimum yield in arid and semiarid drought-affected areas.

Keywords: abiotic stress; antioxidant activity; micronutrient; photosynthetic pigments; phenols (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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