Aydin Gunes

Interactive effects of boron and salinity stress on the growth, membrane permeability and mineral composition of tomato and cucumber plants

A greenhouse study was conducted in order to determine interactive effects of NaCl salinity and B on the growth, sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), boron (B), potassium (K) concentrations and membrane permeability of salt resistant Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L. cv. Lale F1) and salt sensitive cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Santana F1) plants. Plants were grown in a factorial combination of NaCl (0 and 30 mM for cucumber and 0 and 40 mM for tomato) and B (0, 5, 10 and 20 mg kg−1 soil). Boron toxicity symptoms appeared at 5 mg kg−1 B treatments in both plants. Salinity caused an increase in leaf injury due to B toxicity, but it was more severe in cucumber. Dry weights of the plants decreased with the increasing levels of applied B in nonsaline conditions, but the decrease in dry weights due to B toxicity was more pronounced in saline conditions especially in cucumber. Salinity × B interaction on the concentration of B in both plants was found significant. However, increase in B concentrations of tomato decreased under saline conditions when compared to nonsaline conditions. Contrary to this, B concentration of cucumber increased as a result of increasing levels of applied B and salinity. Salinity increased Na and Cl concentrations of both plants.Potassium concentration of tomato was not affected by salinity and B treatments, but K concentration of cucumber was decreased by salinity. Membrane permeability of the plants was increased by salinity while toxic levels of B had no effect on membrane permeability in nonsaline conditions. Membrane permeability was significantly increased in the presence of salinity by the increasing levels of applied B.

Effect of salinity on stomatal resistance, proline, and mineral composition of pepper

Abstract Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants grown in pots were irrigated with the nutrient solutions containing 50, 75, and 100 mM NaCl or a control solution. Salinity markedly decreased plant growth. Increasing salinity levels increased stomatal resistance and sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), proline contents of the plants. Potassium (K), total‐nitrogen (N), and chlorophyll content of the plants were decreased under high salinity conditions.

Influence of Silicon on Sunflower Cultivars under Drought Stress, I: Growth, Antioxidant Mechanisms, and Lipid Peroxidation

Abstract: Understanding plant responses to drought stress is essential, and there is a need to know possible physiological mechanisms of damage and drought avoidance for the genetic improvement of crops. Therefore, we investigated the effects of silicon (Si) on shoot and root growth, leaf relative water content (RWC), stomatal resistance (SR), lipid peroxidation (MDA), membrane permeability (MP), proline and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation, nonenzymatic antioxidant activity, and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) of 12 sunflower cultivars grown under drought conditions. Silicon applied to the soil counteracted the deleterious effects of drought in 6 of the 12 sunflower cultivars. In general, SR and H2O2, proline, and MDA content were increased in all the cultivars under drought stress. However, application of Si decreased their levels and alleviated membrane damage (MP) significantly by increasing leaf RWC. The CAT activity was significantly decreased by drought stress, but supplemental Si increased it. In general, SOD and APX activities of the cultivars were increased by drought and decreased by application of Si. The nonenzymatic antioxidant activity of the cultivars was significantly increased by Si under drought stress. Based on the present work, it can be concluded that applied Si alleviates drought stress in sunflower cultivars by preventing membrane damage, although the cultivars showed genotypic variation in response to applied Si.

Silicon increases boron tolerance and reduces oxidative damage of wheat grown in soil with excess boron

The effect of silicon on the growth, boron concentrations, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, lipoxygenase (LOX) activity, proline (PRO) and H2O2 accumulation, and the activities of major antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX)] and non-enzymatic antioxidants (AA) of wheat grown in soil originally with toxic B concentrations were investigated. Applied of 5.0 and 10.0 mM Si to the B toxic soil significantly increased Si concentration of the wheat and counteracted the deleterious effects of B on shoot growth. The contents of PRO, H2O2, MDA, and LOX activity of wheat grown in B toxic soil were significantly reduced by Si treatments. Compared with control plants, the activities of SOD, CAT, APX and content of AA were decreased by applied Si. Based on the present work, it can be concluded that Si alleviates B toxicity of wheat by preventing oxidative membrane damage and also translocation of B from root to shoot and/or soil to plant.

Influence of partial replacement of nitrate by amino acid nitrogen or urea in the nutrient medium on nitrate accumulation in NFT grown winter lettuce

Abstract Two cultivars of lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa L. cvs Berlo and Kirsten) were grown for two months in late fall in NFT under three different nitrogen (N)‐regimes but with the same total N concentration (13.4 mM). A reference treatment with a nutrient solution containing 94% nitrate (NO3) and 6% ammonium (NH4) was compared with urea and proteinate treatments in which 20% of the NO3 of the reference treatment was replaced by either of these two N sources. Proteinate is a fertilizer produced in Turkey containing 8% amino acid N and 8% NO3‐N. For both cultivars the fresh weights of the harvested plants were unaffected by the N source as was also the total N uptake. Nitrate content, however, was considerably lower in the urea and proteinate plants, values for the three treatments ranging from 3314 to 4579 mg NO3/kg fresh wt making up from between 44.3% to 55.4% of the total plant N. Of the two cultivars, Berlo accumulated greater concentrations of NO3 than did Kirsten. The accumulation of chloride (C...

Interactive effects of salicylic acid and silicon on oxidative damage and antioxidant activity in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L. cv. Matador) grown under boron toxicity and salinity

We investigated individual and combined effects of salinity, soil boron (B), silicon (Si) and salicylic acid (SA) on the activities of major antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT and ascorbate peroxidase, APX) and non-enzymatic antioxidants (AA), proline, chlorophyll, anthocyanin, H2O2 concentration, stomatal resistance (SR), lipid peroxidation (MDA), membrane permeability (MP), and the uptake of sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), boron and Si of spinach plants. In general, salinity significantly increased H2O2 and proline concentrations, antioxidant activity, membrane permeability, lipid peroxidation and SR of the spinach plants, indicating that they were stressed, whereas application of B only increased proline concentration. However, plant fresh weights did not decline with either treatment. The application of Si decreased H2O2 and increased the activity of SOD and CAT. The application of SA increased SOD activity. Neither SA nor Si had any effect on the proline concentration, or MP. However, application of Si increased chlorophyll concentration and decreased lipid peroxidation (MDA concentration). Si treatment had no effect on SR. The concentration of B in the tissues, which was strongly increased by B treatment, was decreased by NaCl. As a result of salinity, concentrations of Na+ and Cl− ions were increased in the plant tissues, and application of Si slightly increased these concentrations. These results indicate that exogenous Si application increases stress tolerance of spinach, a plant that is naturally reasonably resistant to combined salinity and B toxicity, by the enhancement of antioxidant mechanisms that reduce membrane damage. Exogenous SA has a less obvious effect, although the levels of salinity and boron stress applied were not sufficient in this experiment to reduce plant fresh weight.

Critical nutrient concentrations and antagonistic and synergistic relationships among the nutrients of NFT‐grown young tomato plants

Abstract Critical concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) with respect to dry matter yield end antagonistic and synergistic relationships among these nutrients were studied in which tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) was grown in recirculating nutrient solution (NFT). Increments of nutrient elements in the nutrient solution increased the proportional rate of the corresponding nutrient elements. Increasing levels of N negatively correlated with plant P and positively correlated with Ca, Fe, and Zn. Iron and Mn contents of the plants were increased and N, K, Ca, and Mg were decreased as a function of P applied. Increases in K in the nutrient solution caused increases in the concentrations of K, N, P, and Zn, and decreases in the concentration of Ca and Fe. Applied Ca increased the concentrations of Ca and N, and decreased the concentrations of P, Mg, Fe, Zn, and Mn. Potassium, Ca, and Fe contents of the plants wer...

Genotypic variation in phosphorus efficiency between wheat cultivars grown under greenhouse and field conditions

Abstract Phosphorus (P) efficiency (relative growth), which is described as the ratio of shoot dry matter or grain yield at deficient P supply to that obtained under adequate P supply, was compared in 25 winter wheat cultivars grown under greenhouse and field conditions with low and adequate P levels in a P-deficient calcareous soil. Adequate P supply resulted in significant increases in shoot dry weight and grain yield under both experimental conditions. In the greenhouse experiment, the increases in shoot dry weight under adequate P supply (80 mg kg−1) were from 0% (cv: C-1252) to 34% (cv: Dagdas). Under field conditions, the cultivars showed much greater variation in their response to adequate P supply (60 kg ha−1): the increases in shoot dry weight and grain yield with adequate P supply were between −2% (cv: Sivas-111/33) and 25% (cv: Kirac-66) for shoot dry matter production at the heading stage and between 0% (cv: Kirkpinar-79) and 76% (cv: Kate A-1) for grain yield at maturity. Almost all cultivars behaved totally different in their response to P deficiency under greenhouse and field conditions. Phosphorus efficiency ratios (relative growth) under greenhouse conditions did not correlate with the P efficiency ratios under field conditions. In general, durum wheat cultivars were found to be more P efficient compared with bread wheat cultivars. The results of this study indicated that there is wide variation in tolerance to P deficiency among wheat cultivars that can be exploited in breeding new wheat cultivars for high P deficiency tolerance. The results also demonstrated that P efficiency was expressed differently among the wheat cultivars when grown under greenhouse and field conditions and, therefore, special attention should be paid to growth conditions in screening wheat for P efficiency.

Reducing nitrate content of NFT grown winter onion plants (Allium cepa L.) by partial replacement of NO3 with amino acid in nutrient solution

Abstract Onion plants ( Allium cepa L. ) were grown in perlite using a non-recirculating film system of 20.25 mM N concentration (93.8% NO 3 , 6.2% NH 4 ). Replacement of 20% of the NO 3 by urea, glycine or mixed amino acids did not affect the fresh and dry weight, but reduced the NO 3 content and increased the total-N content of the onions significantly.

Silicon Increases Tolerance to Boron Toxicity and Reduces Oxidative Damage in Barley

ABSTRACT Silicon (Si) protects plants from multiple abiotic and biotic stresses The effect of exogenous Si levels (50, 75, and 100 mg kg−1) on the growth, boron (B) and Si uptake, lipid peroxidation (MDA), lipoxygenase activity (LOX; EC 1.13.11.12), proline, and H2O2 accumulation, non-enzymatic antioxidant activity (AA) and the activities of major antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD, EC 1.15.1.1; catalase, CAT, EC 1.11.1.6 and ascorbate peroxidase, APX, EC 1.11.1.11) of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) were investigated under glasshouse conditions. Increasing levels of Si supplied to the soil with 20 mg kg−1 B counteracted the deleterious effects of B on shoot growth. Application of B significantly increased the B concentration in barley plants. However, Si application decreased B concentrations. Increasing application of Si increased the Si concentration in barley plants. The concentration of H2O2 was increased by B toxicity but decreased by Si supply. Boron toxicity decreased proline concentrations and increased lipid peroxidation (MDA content) and LOX activity of barley. Compared with control plants, the activities of AA, SOD, CAT, and APX in B stressed plants grown without Si decreased, and application of Si increased their activities under toxic B conditions. The LOX activity was decreased by Si. Based on the present work, it can be concluded that Si alleviates B toxicity by possibly preventing oxidative membrane damage, both through lowering the uptake of B and by increasing tolerance to excess B within the tissues.