Alleviation of Copper-Induced Stress in Pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.) through Foliar Application of Gibberellic Acid
2021
Talha Javed | Muhammad Moaaz Ali | Rubab Shabbir | Raheel Anwar | Irfan Afzal | Rosario Paolo Mauro
Copper (Cu) is an essential metal for plants. However, its excess in soil can adversely affect plant metabolism. The current study evaluated the effects of gibberellic acid (GA<sub>3</sub>) foliar applications on the performance of pea plants grown either in Cu-contaminated (Cu+) and non-contaminated (Cu−) soil. GA<sub>3</sub> was sprayed (0, 10, 50, and 100 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>) on 15-days-old plants. The results showed that the increasing concentration of GA<sub>3</sub> buffered the phytotoxic effects of Cu and enhanced plant growth, photosynthesis, and leaf chlorophyll content. Foliar-sprayed GA<sub>3</sub> up to 100 mg·L<sup>−1</sup> alleviated the oxidative stress, as inferred from the lower concentrations of MDA and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (33.3 µmol·g<sup>−1</sup> and 182 µmol·g<sup>−1</sup>, respectively), and boosted the activity of superoxide dismutase (64.4 U·g<sup>−1</sup>·FW), peroxidase (122.7 U·g<sup>−1</sup>·FW), and catalase (226.3 U·g<sup>−1</sup>·FW). Interestingly, GA<sub>3</sub> promoted Cu accumulation in different plant parts when compared to untreated plants, likely due to increased photosynthetic and transpiration rates. Overall, foliar application of GA<sub>3</sub> promoted phytoextraction of Cu and alleviated the oxidative stress in pea plants grown in Cu+ soil.
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