In collaboration with Scientific Association of Iranian Medicinal Plants

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 -

2 Mohaghegh Ardabili University

3 Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil

4 Horticultural Dep.

Abstract

     Background and objectives: Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is a plant from the Mint family and the genus Ocimum, which has many species, among which O. basilicum is the most useful economic species, and like other plants of the Mint family, it is a source of cyclic compounds and essential oil. It is also known as a rich source of phenolic compounds (especially rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid) and flavonoids. The plant's vegetative body contains essential oils. Linalool, methyl chavicol, citral, euginol, cineol, geraniol, camphor, and methyl cinnamate are important components of basil essential oil. As the most critical abiotic stress, drought stress plays a crucial role in reducing the yield of medicinal plants. It causes numerous morpho-physiological and biochemical changes in the plant. The performance of the effective substance is influenced by the plant's economic performance and environmental conditions, including drought stress. Stress effects are different at different stages of growth and development.
Methodology: To investigate the effect of ascorbic acid on native O.basilicum the native population "Shahre-ray," under drought stress conditions, a factorial experiment in the form of a randomized complete block design was performed in four replications on the research farm of Horticulture Department of Mohaghegh Ardabili University in 2017. Treatments included drought stress (complete irrigation and cessation of irrigation at the beginning of reproductive growth and cessation of irrigation at 50% flowering) and ascorbic acid foliar application at four concentrations of 0.0, 0.5, 1, and 2 mM. This experiment was field operated in May 2016. Before the experiment, the bed preparation operation included plowing, disking, and leveling the ground. The plots of one meter in length and width were created. The seeds were planted in three lines with 15 cm plant spacing. 3-4 cm of rotted manure was used to cover the seeds. After determining the soil texture by the hydrometric method, the mentioned treatments were applied to stress. On the first day, irrigation was a flood, and after germination, irrigation was reduced. All traits were measured in the Physiology Laboratory after the Horticulture Science Department of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences analyzed the data with SAS software. Also, the treatment averages were compared with Duncan's multi-range test at a probability level of 5%. 
Results: The results showed that with increasing drought stress intensity, total plant height, stem length, number of leaves, and plant dry weight decreased by 36.08%, 39.75%, 51.26%, and 53.80% compared to the control treatment, respectively. If ascorbic acid spraying could improve these values, the highest root length was obtained under severe stress conditions (beginning of flowering) and treatment with ascorbic acid (15.83 cm), which showed an increase of about 31.91% compared to the control treatment. Drought stress conditions increased proline and essential oil components. Chlorophyll content also decreased under severe stress. Also, by applying drought stress, in all studied traits, the highest amount of ascorbic acid treatment (concentrations of 0.5 and 1 mM) increased, and higher concentrations decreased the content of studied traits. By analyzing the essential oil of plant samples, the main compounds obtained from basil essential oil included geraniol, methyl chavicol, alphapinene, caryophyllene, citral, coupon, carvacrol, neral, linalool, and limonene. In most compounds, essential oil compounds and components were enhanced by increasing drought stress and spraying. The highest amount of essential oil in the stress condition up to the 50% flowering stage and sprayed with 2 mM ascorbic acid was obtained for methyl chavicol compound (33.76%).
Conclusion: Applying ascorbic acid increased basil growth under drought stress and created resistance in the plant. Therefore, due to the lack of water resources and the great need of plants for water, it is possible to create resistance to stress in plants by spraying non-toxic and essential elements on them.

Keywords

Main Subjects

- Aghlmand, S., Esmaeilpur, B. and Heydari, H.B., 2016. The effect of salicylic acid and paclobutrazol on growth and physiological traits of basil under water stress. Journal of Plant Process and Function, 6(16): 35-46.
- Ahmad, P., Jaleel, C.A., Salem, M.A., Nabi, G. and Sharma, S., 2010. Roles of enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants in plants during abiotic stress. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, 30(3): 161-175.
- Ahmadi, A. and Sio-Se Mardeh, A., 2004. The Effects of Water Stress on Soluble Carbohydrates, Chlorophyll and Proline Contents of four Iranian Wheat Cultivars under Different Moisture
Regimes. Iranian Journal of Agriculture Science, 35(3): 753-763.
- Ali, Q., Ashraf, M. and Athar, H.R., 2007. Exogenously applied proline at different growth stages enhances growth of two maize cultivars grown under water deficit conditions. Pakistan journal of Botany, 39: 1133-1144.
- Anjum, S.A., Wang, L., Farooq, M., Khan, I. and Xue, L., 2011. Methyl jasmonate‐induced alteration in lipid peroxidation, antioxidative defence system and yield in soybean under drought. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 197(4): 296-301.
- Arabi, z., Kaboosi, K., Rezvantalab, N. and Torke Lalebagh, J., 2015. Effects of irrigation and super-absorbent hydrogels on morphological characteristics, yield and essential oil of Anise (Pimpinella anisum L.). Electronic Journal of Crop Production, 8(4): 51-66.
- Ardakani, M.R., Abbaszadeh, B., Sharifi Ashourabadi, E., Lebaschi, M.H. and Packnejad, F., 2007. The effect of water deficit on quantitative and
qualitative characters of balm (Melissa officinalis L.). Iranian Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, 23(2): 251-261.
- Arnon, D.I., 1949. Copper enzymes in isolated chloroplasts. Polyphenoloxidase in Beta vulgaris. Plant Physiology, 24: 1-15.
- Ashraf, M., 2009. Biotechnological approach of improving plant salt tolerance using antioxidants as markers. Biotechnology Advance, 27: 84-93.
- Ashraf, M., 2010. Inducing drught tolerance in
plants: Recent advances. Biotechnology Advance 28: 169183.
- Aroca, R., 2012. Plant responses to drought stress from morphological to molecular features. Springer Heidelberg, New York Dordrecht, London, 466p.
- Babaee, K., Amini Dehghi, M., Modares Sanavi, S.A.M. and Jabbar, R., 2010. Water deficit effect on morphology, prolin content and thymol percentage of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.). Iranian Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, 26(2): 239-251.
- Bahreininejad, B., Razmjoo, J. and Mirza, M., 2013. Influence of water stress on morpho-physiological and phytochemical traits in Thymus daenensis. International Journal of Plant Production, 7(1):
155-166.
- Bates, L.S., Waldern, R.P. and Tear, I.D., 1973. Rapid determination of free proline for water stress studies. Plant and Soil, 39: 205-207.
- Bettaieb, I., Zakhama, N., Wannes, W.A., Kchouk, M.E. and Marzouk, B., 2009. Water deficit effects on Salvia officinalis fatty acids and essential oils composition. Scientia Horticulture, 120(2): 271-275.
- Bohnert, H.J. and Jensen, R.G., 1996. Strategies for engineering water stress tolerance in plants. Trends Biotechnol, 14: 89-97.
- Dolatabadian, A., Sanavy, S. and Chashmi, N., 2008. The effects of foliar application of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on antioxidant enzymes activities, lipid peroxidation and proline accumulation of canola (Brassica napus L.) under conditions of salt stress. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 194: 206-213.
- Dolatabadian, A., Modarres Sanavy, S.A.M. and Sharifi, M., 2009. Effect of water deficit stress and foliar application of ascorbic acid on antioxidants enzymes activity and some biochemical changes in leaves of grain corn (Zea mayz L.). Iranian Journal of Biology, 22(3): 407-422.
- Ebrahimi, M., Zamani, Gh.R. and Alizadeh, Z., 2017. A study on the effects of water deficit on physiological and yield-related traits of pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis L.). Iranian Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, 33(3): 492-508.
- Eman, E., Aziz, S.T., Hendawi, E., Din, A. and Omer, E.A., 2008. Effect of soil type and irrigation intervals on plant growth, essential oil yield and constituents of Thymus vulgaris plant. American-Eurasian Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Science, 4(4): 443-450.
- Farooq, M., Wahid, A., Kobayashi, N., Fujita, D. and Basra, S.M.A., 2009. Plant drought stress: effects, mechnisms and management. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 29: 185-212.
- Fathi, A. and Tari, D.B., 2016. Effect of drought stress and its mechanism in plants. International Journal of Life Sciences, 10(1): 1-6.
- Farhoudi, R., 2017. Effect of drought stress on photosynthesis, percentage and yield of essential oil of german chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) Khuzestan local mass in northern Khuzestan climatic conditions. Journal of Horticultural Science, 31(1): 122-130.
- Farahvash, F., Mirshekari, B. and Abbasi-Seyahjani, E., 2011. Effects of water deficit on some traits of three sunflower cultivars. Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research, 9(5): 584-587.
- Gheysari, S., Nematpour, F.S. and Safipour Afshar, A., 2016. The Effects of Salicylic Acid and Ascorbic Acid on Photosynthetic Pigments and some Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) under Lead Stress. Journal of Plant Research, 28(4): 814-825.
- Ghorbanali, M., Adib hashemi, N. and Peyvandi, M., 2010. Study of salinity and ascorbic acid on some physiological responses of Nigella sativa L. Iranian Journal of Medical and Aromatic Plants, 26(3):
370-388.
- Hartung, W., Peuke, A.D. and Davies, W.J., 1999. Abscisic acid-A hormonal. long-distance stress signal in plarts under drought and salt stress. Ins, New York, 731-743.
- Hassani, A. and Omidbaigi, R., 2002. Effect of water stress on some morphological, physiological and metabolic characteristics of basil. Agricultural Sciences, 12(3): 47-99.
- Hasanuzzaman, M., Hossain, M.A., da Silva, J.A.T. and Fujita, M., 2012. Plant responses and tolerance to abiotic oxidative stress: antioxidant defense is a key factor. 261-300. In: B. Venkateswarlu, B., Shanker, ‎‎A.K., Shanker, C. and Maheswari, M. (Eds.), Crop Stress and its Management: Perspectives and Strategies (eds. Bandi, V., Shanker, A.K., Shanker, C. and Mandapaka, M.,) Springer, Berlin, 612p.
- Hong-Bo Shao, L., Ye Chu, C., Abdul Jaleel, P., Manivannan, R., Panneer selvam, M. and Shao A., 2009. Understanding water deficit stress-induced changes in the basic metabolism of higher plants-biotechnologically and sustainably improving agriculture and the eco-environment in arid regions of the globe. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology,
29: 131-151.
- Hsiao, T.C. and Liu-Kang, X., 2000. Sensitivity of growth of roots leaves to water stress: biophysical analysis and relation to water transport. Experimental Botany, 51(350): 1595-1616.
- Izadi, Z., Asnaashari, M. and Ahmadvand, G., 2009. Influence of drought tension on yield, proline contents, soluble sugars, chlorophyll, relative water contents and essential oil in peppermint (Mentha piperita L.). Iranian Journal of Horticultural Science, 10(3): 223-234.
- Jubany-Marí, T., Munné-Bosch, S. and Alegre, L., 2010. Redox regulation of water stress responses in field-grown plants. Role of hydrogen peroxide and ascorbate. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry,
48: 351-358.
- Juliani, H.R., Simon, J.E., Ramboatiana, M.M.R., Behra O., Garvey A. and Raskin I., 2002. Malagasy aromatic plants: essential oils, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. XXVI International Horticultural Congress. The Future for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, 24: 641 - 50
- Khalid Hussein, Z. and Qader Khursheed, M., 2014. Effect of foliar application of ascorbic acid on growth, yield components and some chemical constituents of wheat under water stress conditions. Jordan Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 10: 1-15
- Khan, M.I.R., Iqbal, N., Masood, A. and Khan, N.A., 2012. Variation in salt tolerance of wheat cultivars: role of glycine betaine and ethylene. Pedosphere,
22: 746-754.
- Kindscher, K., 2016. Echinacea Herbal Medicine with a Wild History. Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, 238p.
- Koc, E., İslek, C. and Üstun, A.S., 2010. Effect of cold on protein, proline, phenolic compounds and chlorophyll content of two pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) varieties. Gazi University Journal of Science, 23: 1-6.
- Mazinani, M.A., Moghaddam, M., Alavikia, S., shakiba, M.R., Mehrabi, A. and Pouraboughaddare, A.R., 2013. Study of genetic diversity in
T. boeoticum populations under normal and water deficit stress conditions. Cereal Research, 2(1):
17-30.
- Mishra, A.K. and Singh, V.P., 2010. A review of drought concepts. Journal of Hydrology, 391(1): 202-216.
- MohammadPour Voshvaie, R., Ghloy, M., Ramroodi, M. and Fakheri, B.A., 2015. Effect of drought stress and biological fertilizers on the growth, yield and essence component of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.). Journal of Agroecology, 7(2): 237-253.
- Moradi, A., Ahmadi, A. and Hossein Zadeh, A., 2008. Agro-Physiological Responses of Mung Bean (cv. Partov) to Severe and Moderate Drought Stress Applied at Vegetative and Reproductive Growth Stages. Journal of Hydrology and Soil Science, 12(45) :659-671.
- Munn, S. and Alegre, L., 2000. The significance of beta carotene, alpha, tocopherol and the xanthophyll cycle in droughted Melissa officinalis plant. Journal of plant physiology, 27(2): 139-146.
- Mukhtar, A., Akram, N.A., Aisha, R., Shafiq, S. and Ashraf, M., 2016. foliar applied ascorbic acid enhances antioxidative potential and drought tolerance in cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. Botrytis). Agrochimical, 60: 100-113.
- Narimani, R., Moghaddam, M. and Shokouhi, D., 2017. The Effect of Different Concentrations of Sodium Nitroprusside in Alleviating Oxidative Damages Caused by Water Stress of Polyethylene Glycol in Medicinal Plant of Catmint Hairless under in Vitro Condition. Journal of Plant Productions, 4(3): 77-89.
- Omidbegi, R., 2000. Production and processing of medicinal plants. Vol. 3, Astan Quds Razavi Publications, Mashhad, 379p.
- Payero, J.O., Tarkalson, D.P., Lrmak, S., Davison, D. and Peterson, J.L., 2009. Effect of timing of deficit irrigation allocation on corn-enapotranspivation Yield, Water useefficiency and dry mass. Agricultural of water Management, 96: 1387-397.
- Pourghasemian, N. and Moradi, R., 2018. Assessing effect of drought stress and ascorbic acid application on some growth and bio-chemical parameters of marigold (Calendula officinalis L.). Journal of Plant Process and Function, 6(19) :77-88.
- Pradhan, G.P., Prasad, P.V.V., Fritz, A.K., Kirkham, M.B. and Gill, B.S., 2011. Response of Aegilops species to drought stress during reproductive
stages of development. Functional Plant Biology, 39: 51-59.
- Rampino, P., Spano, G., Pataleo, S., Mita, G., Napier, J.A., Di Fonzo, N., Shewry, P.R. and Perrotta, C., 2006. Molecular analysis of a durum wheat stay green mutant: Expression pattern of photosynthesisrelated genes. Journal of Cereal Science, 43: 160-168.
- Rahal, A., Kumar, A., Singh, V., Yadav, B., Tiwari, R., Chakraborty, S. and Dhama, K., 2014. Oxidative stress, prooxidants, and antioxidants: the interplay. BioMed Research International, 761264.
- Rebey, B.I., Jabri-Karoui, I., Hamrouni-Sellami, I., Bourgou, S., Limam, F. and Marzouk, B., 2012. Effect of drought on the biochemical composition and antioxidant activities of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) seeds. Industrial Crops and Products, 36: 238-245.
- Reddy, A.R., Chaitanya, K.V. and Vivekananda, M., 2004. Drought-induced responses of photosynthesis and antioxidant metabolism in higher plants. Journal of Plant Physiology, 161: 1189-1202.
- Saffaryazdi, A., Lahouti, M., Ganjeali, A. and Bayat, H., 2012. Impact of selenium supplementation on growth and selenium accumulation on spinach (Spinacia oleraceae L.) plants. Notulae Scientia Biologicae, 4(4): 95-100.
- Selahvarzi, Y., Goldani, M., Nabati, J. and Alirezaei, M., 2011. Effects of exogenous application of ascorbic acid on some physic-chemistry response of marjoram under salt stress. Iranian Journal of Horticultural Science, 42: 159-167.
- Shalata, A. and Neumann, P.M., 2001. Exogenous ascorbic acid (vitamin C) increases resistance to salt stress and reduces lipid peroxidation. Journal of Experimental Botany, 52: 2207-2211.
- Smirnoff, N., 2005. Ascorbate, tocopherol and carotenoids: metabolism, pathway engineering and functions. In: Smirnoff, N. (Ed.), Antioxidants and Reactive Oxygen Species in Plants. Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Oxford, UK, 53-86.
- Sreevalli, Y., Baskaran, K., Chandrashekara, R., Kuikkarni, R., Sushil, H., Samresh, D., Kukre, J., Ashok, A., Sharmr Singh, K., Srikant, S. and Rakesh, T., 2001. Preliminary obserration on the effect of irrigation frequency and genotypes on yield and alkaloid concentration in petriwinkle. Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Science, 22: 356-358.
- Taiz, L. and Zeiger, E., 2006. Plant Physiology. 4th Ed., Sinauer Associates Inc. Publishers, Massachusetts, 782p.
- Takamiya, K.I., Tsuchiya, T. and Ohta, H., 2000. Degradation pathway(s) of chlorophyll: What has gene cloning revealed? Trends in Plant Science,
5: 426-431.
- Wahid, A. and Rasul, E., 2005. Photosynthesis in leaf, stem, flower and fruit, in: Pessarakli M., Ed., Handbook of Photosynthesis, 2nd ed., CRC Press, Florida, 479-497.
- Wang, Y., Luo, Z., Huang, X., Yang, K., Gao, S. and Du, R., 2014. Effect of exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) treatment on chilling injury and antioxidant capacity in banana peel. Scientia Horticulturae, 168: 132-137.
- Zabalza, A., Galvez, L., Marino, D., Royuela, M., Arrese-Igor, C. and Gonzalez, E.M., 2008. The application of ascorbate or its immediate precursor, galactono-1,4-lactone, does not affect the response of nitrogen-fixing pea nodules to water stress. Journal of Plant Physiology, 165: 805-812.
- Zhang, J., Nguyen, H.T. and Blum, A., 1999. Genetic analysis of osmotic adjustment in crop plants. Journal of Experimental Botany, 50: 291-302.