Foliar Application of Humic Acid and Some Exo-and Endophytic Growth Hormones on Yield, Yield Components and Fatty Acid Composition in Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) under Drought Stress

Abstract

Α two-year field experiment was conducted in Varamin-Pishva Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran to study the impact of drought stress and foliar application of some hormones on the safflower growth. The drought stress was induced at three levels and considered as main plots. Irrigating after 75% water depletion was considered to be normal irrigation (control), irrigating after 60 and 45% water depletion, defined as mild and severe drought stress, respectively. The foliar application of humic acid (HA), salicylic acid (SA), Gibberellic acid (GA3), ascorbic acid (AA), water, and the non-foliar application was considered as sub-plots. The main effect of irrigation regimes was significant on seed yield, oil yield, palmitic acid, and water use efficiency (WUE). Also, the main effect of foliar applications was significant for seed yield, oil yield, stearic acid, and WUE. Normal irrigation produced the maximum oil yield (2270 kg ha-1) that was decreased by 25.9% and 37.1% under mild and severe stress regimes, respectively. The maximum and minimum oil yields were produced by the application of SA and non-foliar treatment with average values 1970 and 1357 kg ha-1, respectively. Although the palmitic acid content was enhanced under the drought stress conditions, oleic acid content was significantly decreased in such conditions. The current findings suggest that the foliar application of SA can be recommended when optimal water supply was applied to increase the quality and quantity of safflower oilseed.

Keywords

• Ascorbic acid
• Foliar spray
• Gibberellic acid
• Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)
• Salicylic acid

References

1. Ali Q, Anwar F, Ashraf M, Saari N & Perveen R (2013). Ameliorating effects of exogenously applied proline on seed composition, seed oil quality and oil antioxidant activity of maize (Zea mays L.) under drought stress. International Journal of Molecular Science 14: 818-835.
2. Amini H, Arzani A & Karami M, 2014. Effect of water deficiency on seed quality and physiological traits of different safflower genotypes. Turkish Journal of Biology 38(2): 271-282.
3. Azadmard Damirchi S, Savage G P & Dutta P C (2005). Sterol fractions in hazelnut and virgin olive oils and 4,4′-dimethylsterols as possible markers for detection of adulteration of virgin olive oil. Journal of American Oil Chemical Society 82: 717-725.
4. Çamaş N & Esendal E (2006). Estimates of broad-sense heritability for seed yield and yield components of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). Hereditas 143: 55-57.
5. Chavoushi M, Najafi F, Salimi A & Angaji S A (2020). Effect of salicylic acid and sodium nitroprusside on growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments and secondary metabolites of safflower under drought stress. Scientia Horticulturae 259: 108823.
6. Chavoushi M, Najafi F, Salimia A & Angaji A (2019). Improvement in drought stress tolerance of safflower during vegetative growth by exogenous application of salicylic acid and sodium nitroprusside. Industrial Crop Product 134: 168-176.
7. Dajue L (1993). Progress of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) research and production in china. In: Third interactional safflower conference, Beijing China, Pp 35-46 Dotto L & Neumann Silva V (2017). Beet seed priming with growth regulators. Semin Cienc Agrar 38: 1785-1798.
8. Golparvar A R (2011). Genetic improvement of oil yield in spring safflower cultivars under drought and non-drought stress conditions. Electronic Journal Biology 7(2): 40-43.

9. Keshavarz H & Gh Khodabin (2019). The Role of Uniconazole in Improving Physiological and Biochemical Attributes of Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Subjected to Drought Stress. Journal Crop Science Biotechnology 22 (2): 161-168.
10. Keshavarz H & Sadegh Ghol Moghadam R (2017). Seed priming with cobalamin (vitamin B12) provides significant protection against salinity stress in the common bean. Rhizosphere 3: 143-149.
11. Keshavarz H, Modares-Sanavy S A S & Mahdipour Afra M (2018). Organic and Chemical Fertilizer Affected Yield and Essential Oil of Two Mint Species. Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants 21(6): 1674-1681.
12. Keshavarz H, Modarres Sanavy S A M & Sadegh Gol Moghadam R (2016). Impact of Foliar Application with Salicylic Acid on Biochemical Characters of Canola Plants under Cold Stress Condition. Notulae Science Biology 8(1): 98-105.
13. Khan A S & Chaudhry N Y (2006). GA3 improves flower yield in some cucurbits treated with lead and mercury. African Journal of Biotechnology 5: 149-153.
14. Li H S, Sun Q, Zhao S J & Zhang W H (2000). Principles and techniques of plant physiological biochemical experiment. Higher Education, Beijing. Pp. 195-197.
15. Mohtashami M, Naderi A, Ghanbari A A, Alavifazel M & Lak Sh (2016). Effect of seed pre-treatment with growth regulators on seed yield and yield components of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Turkish Journal Field Crops 21(2): 313-317.
16. Mona G, Dawood M, Sadak S & Hozayen M (2012). Physiological role of salicylicacid in improving performance, yield and some biochemical aspects of sunflower plant grown under newly reclaimed sandy soil. Australian Journal of Basic & Applied Science 4: 82-89.
17. Moradi P, Pasari B & Fayyaz F (2017). The effects of fulvic acid application on seed and oil yield of safflower cultivars. Journal of Central European Agriculture 18(3): 584-597.
18. Sabagh El, Hossain A, Barutcular C, Gormus O, Ahmad Z, Hussain S, Islam M S, Alharby H, Bamagoos A, Kumar N, Akdeniz H, Fahad S, Meena R S, Abselhamid M, Wasaya A, Hasanuzzaman M, Soroir S & Saneoka H (2019). Effects of drought stress on the quality of major oilseed crops: implications and possible mitigation strategies - a review. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 17(2): 4019-4043.
19. Shabani A, Sepaskhah A R & Kamgar-Haghighi A A (2013). Responses of agronomic components of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) as influenced by deficit irrigation, water salinity and planting method. International Journal of Plant Production 7 (2): 313-340.
20. Shaki F, Ebrahimzadeh Maboud H & Niknam V (2019). Effects of salicylic acid on hormonal cross talk, fatty acids profile, and ions homeostasis from salt-stressed safflower. Journal of Plant Interactions 14(1): 340-346.
21. Shaki F, Ebrahimzadeh Maboud H & Niknam V (2019). Effects of salicylic acid on hormonal cross talk, fatty acids profile, and ions homeostasis from salt-stressed safflower. Journal of Plant Interactions 14(1): 340-346.
22. Soheili-Movahhed S, Khomari S, Sheikhzadeh P & Alizadeh B (2019). Improvement in seed quantity and quality of spring safflower through foliar application of boron and zinc under end season drought stress. Journal of Plant Nutrition.
23. Tohidi Moghadam H R, Khamene M K & Zahedi H (2014). Effect of humic acid foliar application on growth and quantity of corn in irrigation withholding at different growth stages. Maydica 59: 124-128.
24. Ullah F, Bano A & Nosheen A (2012). Effects of plant growth regulators on growth and oil quality of canola (Brassica napus L.) under drought stress. Pakistan Journal of Botany 44(6): 1873-1880.
25. Yadollahi, P., Asgharipour, M.R., Kheiri, N. and Ghaderi, A. (2015). Effects of drought stress and different types of organic fertilizers on the yield and yield components of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). Journal of Oil Plant Product 3(1): 27-40.
26. Zhang L, Gao M, Zhang L, Li B, Han M, Alva A K & Ashraf M (2013). Role of exogenous glycinebetaine and humic acid in mitigating drought stress-induced adverse effects in Malus robusta seedlings. Turkish Journal of Botany 37: 920-929.