Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Z. Baharmast ¹
• M. Hassanpour Asil ¹
• M. B. Farhangi ²
• A. Sahraroo ¹

¹ Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

² Department of Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

Abstract

Background and objectives: Pink evening primrose is one of the world's most well-known and economically valuable medicinal plant species. It has also been cultivated as an ornamental and medicinal plant in Iran. In addition, its seed oil is used in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic, and healthcare industries. Micronutrients and biofertilizers can enhance the quality of agricultural products. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and zinc foliar spraying on the nutrient uptake morphophysiological and biochemical characteristics of pink evening primrose.
Methodology: This research was conducted on evening primrose for one year, from October 2022 to September 2023. For this purpose, evening primrose seeds were first grown for 120 days in greenhouse conditions in size 10 pots and then at the time of transplanting to the main pot, they were inoculated with Glomus intraradices arbuscular mycorrhizal species, and inoculation was carried out at two levels of inoculation and non-inoculation during the transfer of the seedlings of the main pot. This experiment was carried out factorially in a completely randomized design and foliar application of zinc element in zinc sulfate at three levels of zero (control), 3 and 5 mg/L in three replications at the eight-leaf stage. Before planting the plant, samples were taken from the soil mixture used, and the physicochemical test of the soil included The concentration of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and biomass carbon elements. The examined traits include Morphological traits (wet and dry weight of shoot, number of flowers per stem, flower diameter, length of flowering period, number of leaves, number of capsules, number of seeds in capsule, number of lateral branches) and number of mycorrhizal spores in the soil and physiological traits including chlorophylls a, b and total, carotenoid, phenol and flavonoid and antioxidant and activity of catalase and peroxidase enzymes were evaluated in leaves.
Results: The results showed that in the foliar treatment with 5 mg/l zinc sulfate, the number of flowers per plant, number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per plant, seed yield, number of internodes, number of secondary stems, fresh and dry weight of shoot and flavonoid phytochemical traits, antioxidant, catalase and peroxidase and in addition elements of phosphorus, zinc, boron, manganese, iron and copper were significantly different at the 1% probability level. Carotenoid, nitrogen and potassium elements were found to have a significant difference at the 5% probability level. The effect of inoculation treatment with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus on the traits of number of flowers per plant, number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per plant, seed yield, flower diameter, stem diameter, leaf area, number of leaves, fresh and dry weight of shoot, plant height and length flowering period and in addition, total chlorophyll, phenol, flavonoid, antioxidant and catalase and elements of nitrogen, zinc, boron, manganese, iron and copper were significantly different at the 1% probability level. The traits of the number of secondary stems, carotenoids, and peroxidase were significant at the 5% probability level. The interaction effect of foliar spraying treatments with zinc sulfate 5 mg/litre and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus on shoot weight and total chlorophyll at the 1% probability level, and the number of flowers, chlorophyll a, catalase and zinc element was observed to be significant difference at 5% probability level. The comparison between the treatments showed that the foliar treatment with zinc sulfate 5 mg/litre, along with the inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, had the most significant effect on increasing the amount of flowering, seed yield and phenolic compounds and catalase and peroxidase enzymes.
Conclusion: In general, it can be concluded that among the treatments used, foliar spraying treatment with zinc sulfate (5 mg/litre) along with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus can achieve high flower and seed yield by affecting the availability of nutrients and increasing vegetative growth. It can also increase the amount of chlorophyll and total carotenoid, flavonoid, antioxidant, catalase, and peroxidase of this valuable plant.

Keywords

• Peroxidase
• antioxidant capacity
• total flavonoid
• catalase

Main Subjects

• Agriculture and horticulture