Evaluation of morpho-physiological responses of Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf to the application of chemical and biological fertilizers under salinity stress in Fars and Tehran climates

Subject Areas : Medicinal Plants

mostafa  salehi ¹ (Depaetmen of horticulture, birjand branch, islamic azad university, birjand, Iran)
fatemeh  nakhaei ² (Departmet of horticulture, birjand branch , islamic azad university, birjand, iran)
seyyed gholamreza  mosavi ³ (Agricultural, Medicinal plant and Animal Sciences Research Center, Birjand branch, Islamic Azad University, Birjand, Iran)
reza  bradaran ⁴ (Agricultural, Medicinal plant and Animal Sciences Research Center, Birjand branch, Islamic Azad University, Birjand, Iran)

Received: 2022-08-24 Accepted : 2023-05-29 Published : 2023-03-21

Keywords: Photosynthetic pigments, mycorrhizal fungus, Nitroxin, leaf yield, Biosulfur, Essential oil content,

Abstract :

Plant nutrition from different sources of fertilizers is one of the most critical factors for crop improvement under stress conditions. The purpose of this research was to study the morpho-physiological responses of the lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf) medicinal plant to the application of different fertilizer sources (control, NPK, nitroxin, mycorrhizal fungi, and biosulfur) under irrigation water salinity stress (0, 100, and 200 mM) in two climates (Fars and Tehran), implemented as a factorial split-plot based on a randomized complete block design in three replications during 2020-2021. Growth and yield attributes and also physiological traits such as photosynthetic pigments, proline content, and qualitative characteristics (essential oil percentage and yield) were measured. Results showed that high salinity concentration (200 mM) negatively affected growth and yield parameters (root dry weight and volume, plant height, number of leaves, and plant yield). The highest plant yield was obtained at 0 and 100 mM salinity with an average of 4183.1 and 4191.9 kg.ha-1, respectively in Fars. Among the fertilizer treatments, there was no difference in terms of plant yield, and all of them led to an increase in yield compared to the control treatment. Using nitroxin biofertilizer under non-stress conditions in Fars region led to the highest total chlorophyll and chlorophyll a, which showed an increase by 51.3% and 47.0%, respectively, compared to the control. Salinity stress (200 mM) and the use of biosulfur in Tehran climate led to an increase in proline content. The use of NPK fertilizer and mycorrhizal fungi under severe salinity stress in Fars led to increases by 2.3 and 2.4 times in essential oil percentage. The lowest average essential oil was also observed in the application of biological and chemical fertilizers in Tehran. The highest essential oil yield was obtained in the application of mycorrhizal fungi under moderate salinity stress in Fars, which was 2.7 times higher compared to the control. All fertilizer treatments at 200 mM level in Fars also had the highest essential oil yield. In general, the lemongrass plant had a good tolerance against the salinity stress of irrigation water and the use of NPK, nitroxin, and mycorrhiza fertilizers while increasing the quantitative and qualitative yield led to the adjustment of the adverse effects caused by the salinity stress.

References:

Abu-Dieyeh, M.H., Diab, M., and Al-Ghouti, M.A. 2017. Ecological and agriculture impacts of bakery yeast wastewater use on weed communities and crops in an arid environment. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24: 14957-14969.

Acharya, P., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Crosby, K.M., Jifon, J.L. and Patil, B.S. 2020. Nanoparticle-mediated seed priming improves germination, growth, yield, and quality of watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) at multi-locations in texas. Scientific Reports, 10: 1-16.

Aghighi Shahverdi, M., Omidi, H. and Tabatabaei, S.J. 2018. Plant growth and steviol glycosides as affected by foliar application of selenium, boron, and iron under NaCl stress in Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. Industrial Crops and Products, 125: 408-415.

Akhondi, M., Dashti, M., Niakan, M. and Mahmodzadeh Akharat, H. 2021. Nano-ZnO effect on yield, quantity and quality of Salvia leriifolia benth. essential oils under salinity stress conditions. Eco-Phytochemical Journal of Medicinal Plants, 9: 91-105.

Alavi, S.A., Ghehsareh, A.M., Soleymani, A., Panahpour, E. and Mozafari, M. 2020. Pepermint (Mentha piperita L.) growth and biochemical properties affected by magnetized saline water. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 201: 110775.

Amanifar, S. and Toghranegar, Z. 2020. The efficiency of arbuscular Mycorrhiza for improving tolerance of Valeriana officinalis L. and enhancing valerenic acid accumulation under salinity stress. Industrial Crops and Products, 147: 112234.

Asghari, M., Yousefirad, M., and Masumi, A. 2016. Effects of organic fertilizers of compost and vermicompost on qualitative and quantitative triats of Lemon verbena. Journal of Medicinal Plants, 15: 63-71.

Azizi, M., Mirmostafaee, S., Bahreini, M., Arouee, H. and Oroojalian, F. 2015. Evaluation of the effect of organic manure and compost application on growth, development, essential oil content, and microbial load in valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.). Journal of Plant Productions (Agronomy, Breeding and Horticulture), 38: 1-14.

Bates, L.S., Waldren, R.P. and Teare, I. 1973. Rapid determination of free proline for water-stress studies. Plant and Soil, 39: 205-207.

Etesami, H. and Alikhani, H.A. 2019. 'Halotolerant plant growth-promoting fungi and bacteria as an alternative strategy for improving nutrient availability to salinity-stressed crop plants. in, Saline Soil-Based Agriculture By Halotolerant Microorganisms (Springer).

Fabriki Ourang, S. and Davoodnia, B. 2018. Changes in growth characteristics and secondary metabolites in Thymus vulgaris L. under moderate salinity and drought shocks. Eco-Phytochemical Journal of Medicinal Plants, 6: 27-39.

Ghaderi, A., Noee, A., Ahmadi, K. and Saborifard, H. 2020. Evaluation the effects of Thiobacillus biological and chemical fertilizers on morphological and phytochemical characteristics of Satureja hortensis L. Eco-Phytochemical Journal of Medicinal Plants, 8: 13-29.

Ghahfarokhi, Y., Abdali Mashhadi, A., Bakhshandeh, A. and Lotfi Jalal Abadi, A. 2015. Evaluation of effect attract moisture substances and organic fertilizers on quality and quantity yield of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) in Ahwaz region. Journal of Plant Process and Function, 4: 87-96.

Hariadi, YC., Nurhayati, AY. and Hariyani, P. 2016. Biophysical monitoring on the effect on different composition of goat and cow manure on the growth response of maize to support sustainability. Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia, 9: 118-127.

Heydari-Rahni, M., Nasri, M., filizadeh, Y., Kasraei, P. and Azadi, P. 2022. Evaluation of growth, yield, and physiological responses of Valeriana officinalis L. to the application of urea, nitroxin, and phosphate Barvar-2 fertilizers. Eco-Phytochemical Journal of Medicinal Plants, 9: 73-92.

Idrees, M., Khan, MMA., Aftab, T., Naeem, M. and Hashmi, N. 2010. Salicylic acid-induced physiological and biochemical changes in lemongrass varieties under water stress. Journal of Plant Interactions, 5: 293-303.

Javadi, H., Rezvani Moghaddam, P., Rashed Mohasel, M.H. and Seghatoleslami, M.J. 2020. Evaluation of biomass yield and nitrogen and phosphorus efficiency indicators of portulaca (Portulaca oleracea L.) affected by organic, chemical and biological fertilizers. Iranian Journal of Field Crops Research, 18: 309-322.

Javan Gholiloo, M., Yarnia, M., Hassanzadeh Ghorttapeh, A., Farahvash, F. and Daneshian, A. 2020. The reaction of valerian to the application of bio-fertilizers under drought stress. Journal of Agricultural Science and Sustainable Production, 30: 59-72.

Khorasaninejad, S., Mousavi, A., Soltanloo, H., Hemmati, K. and Khalighi, A. 2010. The effect of salinity stress on growth parameters, essential oil yield and constituent of peppermint (Mentha piperita L.). World Applied Sciences Journal, 11: 1403-1407.

Kumar, A., Singh, S., Gaurav, A.K., Srivastava, S. and Verma, J.P. 2020. Plant growth-promoting bacteria: biological tools for the mitigation of salinity stress in plants. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11: 1216.

Lichtenthaler, H.K. and Buschmann, C. 2001. Chlorophylls and carotenoids: measurement and characterization by UV‐VIS spectroscopy. Current Protocols in Food Analytical Chemistry, 1: F4. 3.1-F4. 3.8.

Mahanty, T., Bhattacharjee, S., Goswami, M., Bhattacharyya, P., Das, B., Ghosh, A. and Tribedi, P. 2017. Biofertilizers: a potential approach for sustainable agriculture development. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24: 3315-3335.

Mahdavi Khorami, A., Masoud Sinaki, J., Amini Dehaghi, M., Rezvan, S. and Damavandi, A. 2020. Sesame (Sesame indicum L.) biochemical and physiological responses as affected by applying chemical, biological, and nano-fertilizers in field water stress conditions. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 43: 456-475.

Mirzaei, M., Ladan Moghadam, A., Hakimi, L. and Danaee, E. 2020. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) improve plant growth, antioxidant capacity, and essential oil properties of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) under water stress. Iranian Journal of Plant Physiology, 10: 3155-3166.

Pan, T., Liu, M., Kreslavski, V.D., Zharmukhamedov, SK., Nie, C., Yu, M., Kuznetsov, V.V., Allakhverdiev, SI. and Shabala, S. 2021. Non-stomatal limitation of photosynthesis by soil salinity. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 51: 791-825.

Prins, C.L., Freitas, S.d.P., Gomes, M.d.M.d.A., Vieira, I.J.C. and Gravina, G.d.A. 2013. Citral accumulation in Cymbopogon citratus plant as influenced by N6-benzylaminopurine and light intensity. Theoretical and Experimental Plant Physiology, 25: 159-165.

Shahverdi, M.A., Omidi, H. and Damalas, C.A. 2020. Foliar fertilization with micronutrients improves Stevia rebaudiana tolerance to salinity stress by improving root characteristics. Brazilian Journal of Botany, 43: 55-65.

Shahverdi, M.A., Omidi, H. and Tabatabaei, S.J. 2019. Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) responses to NaCl stress: Growth, photosynthetic pigments, diterpene glycosides and ion content in root and shoot. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences, 18: 355-360.

Tesfaye, H., Meskelu, E. and Mohammed, M. 2017. Determination of optimal soil moisture depletion level for Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus L.). Irrigat Drainage Sys Eng, 6: 2-8.

Tisarum, R., Theerawitaya, C., Samphumphuang, T., Polispitak, K., Thongpoem, P., Singh, H.P. and Cha-Um, S. 2020. Alleviation of salt stress in upland rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica cv. Leum Pua) using arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11: 348.

Yang, R., Qin, Z., Wang, J., Zhang, X., Xu, S., Zhao, W. and Huang, Z. 2022. The interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and trichoderma longibrachiatum enhance maize growth and modulate root metabolome under increasing soil salinity. Microorganisms, 10: 1042.