Growth, Gas Exchange, and Phytochemical Quality of Nasturtium (<i>Tropaeolum majus</i> L.) Subjected to Proline Concentrations and Salinity
Salinity is a significant challenge for agriculture in semi-arid regions, affecting the growth and productivity of plants like <i>Tropaeolum majus</i> (nasturtium), which is valued for its ornamental, medicinal, and food uses. Salt stress disrupts the plant’s biochemical, physiological,...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Vitor Araujo Targino Thiago Jardelino Dias Valéria Fernandes de Oliveira Sousa Mariana de Melo Silva Adjair José da Silva João Everthon da Silva Ribeiro Ramon Freire da Silva Diego Silva Batista Juliane Maciel Henschel Mailson Monteiro do Rêgo |
| author_facet | Vitor Araujo Targino Thiago Jardelino Dias Valéria Fernandes de Oliveira Sousa Mariana de Melo Silva Adjair José da Silva João Everthon da Silva Ribeiro Ramon Freire da Silva Diego Silva Batista Juliane Maciel Henschel Mailson Monteiro do Rêgo |
| author_sort | Vitor Araujo Targino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Salinity is a significant challenge for agriculture in semi-arid regions, affecting the growth and productivity of plants like <i>Tropaeolum majus</i> (nasturtium), which is valued for its ornamental, medicinal, and food uses. Salt stress disrupts the plant’s biochemical, physiological, and anatomical processes, limiting its development. This study investigates the potential of proline as an osmoprotectant to mitigate the effects of salt stress on nasturtium’s growth and physiology. A completely randomized factorial design was employed, testing five levels of electrical conductivity (0.0, 1.50, 3.00, 4.5, 6.5 dS m<sup>−1</sup>) and four proline concentrations (0.0, 5.00, 10.0, 15.0 mM) with six replicates. The results showed that proline application, particularly at 15.0 mM, enhanced growth parameters such as leaf number, stem diameter, and root length. At moderate salinity (3.0 dS m<sup>−1</sup>), proline significantly improved gas exchange, increasing net photosynthesis, transpiration, and stomatal conductance. Additionally, proline reduced the negative impact of salt stress on the fresh mass of leaves, stems, and roots, and increased both the mass and number of flowers. Proline also elevated the levels of total phenolic compounds and vitamin C while reducing soluble sugars, particularly under moderate salt stress (4.75 dS m<sup>−1</sup>). Overall, applying 15.0 mM proline shows promise for enhancing the biomass accumulation, flower production, and overall quality of nasturtium under saline conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-22ae755f55434276a7f172e76be5c192 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-22ae755f55434276a7f172e76be5c1922025-08-20T03:12:35ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-01-0114330110.3390/plants14030301Growth, Gas Exchange, and Phytochemical Quality of Nasturtium (<i>Tropaeolum majus</i> L.) Subjected to Proline Concentrations and SalinityVitor Araujo Targino0Thiago Jardelino Dias1Valéria Fernandes de Oliveira Sousa2Mariana de Melo Silva3Adjair José da Silva4João Everthon da Silva Ribeiro5Ramon Freire da Silva6Diego Silva Batista7Juliane Maciel Henschel8Mailson Monteiro do Rêgo9Graduate Program in Agronomy, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia 58397-000, PB, BrazilGraduate Program in Agronomy, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia 58397-000, PB, BrazilAcademic Unit of Agrarian Sciences, Federal University of Campina Grande, Pombal 58840-000, PB, BrazilGraduate Program in Agronomy, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia 58397-000, PB, BrazilGraduate Program in Agronomy, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia 58397-000, PB, BrazilGraduate Program in Phytotechnics, Federal Rural University of Semi-Arid, Mossoró 59625-900, RN, BrazilGraduate Program in Agronomy, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia 58397-000, PB, BrazilGraduate Program in Agronomy, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia 58397-000, PB, BrazilGraduate Program in Agronomy, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia 58397-000, PB, BrazilGraduate Program in Agronomy, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia 58397-000, PB, BrazilSalinity is a significant challenge for agriculture in semi-arid regions, affecting the growth and productivity of plants like <i>Tropaeolum majus</i> (nasturtium), which is valued for its ornamental, medicinal, and food uses. Salt stress disrupts the plant’s biochemical, physiological, and anatomical processes, limiting its development. This study investigates the potential of proline as an osmoprotectant to mitigate the effects of salt stress on nasturtium’s growth and physiology. A completely randomized factorial design was employed, testing five levels of electrical conductivity (0.0, 1.50, 3.00, 4.5, 6.5 dS m<sup>−1</sup>) and four proline concentrations (0.0, 5.00, 10.0, 15.0 mM) with six replicates. The results showed that proline application, particularly at 15.0 mM, enhanced growth parameters such as leaf number, stem diameter, and root length. At moderate salinity (3.0 dS m<sup>−1</sup>), proline significantly improved gas exchange, increasing net photosynthesis, transpiration, and stomatal conductance. Additionally, proline reduced the negative impact of salt stress on the fresh mass of leaves, stems, and roots, and increased both the mass and number of flowers. Proline also elevated the levels of total phenolic compounds and vitamin C while reducing soluble sugars, particularly under moderate salt stress (4.75 dS m<sup>−1</sup>). Overall, applying 15.0 mM proline shows promise for enhancing the biomass accumulation, flower production, and overall quality of nasturtium under saline conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/3/301abiotic stressedible flowersnasturtiumosmoprotectantssalt stress |
| spellingShingle | Vitor Araujo Targino Thiago Jardelino Dias Valéria Fernandes de Oliveira Sousa Mariana de Melo Silva Adjair José da Silva João Everthon da Silva Ribeiro Ramon Freire da Silva Diego Silva Batista Juliane Maciel Henschel Mailson Monteiro do Rêgo Growth, Gas Exchange, and Phytochemical Quality of Nasturtium (<i>Tropaeolum majus</i> L.) Subjected to Proline Concentrations and Salinity Plants abiotic stress edible flowers nasturtium osmoprotectants salt stress |
| title | Growth, Gas Exchange, and Phytochemical Quality of Nasturtium (<i>Tropaeolum majus</i> L.) Subjected to Proline Concentrations and Salinity |
| title_full | Growth, Gas Exchange, and Phytochemical Quality of Nasturtium (<i>Tropaeolum majus</i> L.) Subjected to Proline Concentrations and Salinity |
| title_fullStr | Growth, Gas Exchange, and Phytochemical Quality of Nasturtium (<i>Tropaeolum majus</i> L.) Subjected to Proline Concentrations and Salinity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Growth, Gas Exchange, and Phytochemical Quality of Nasturtium (<i>Tropaeolum majus</i> L.) Subjected to Proline Concentrations and Salinity |
| title_short | Growth, Gas Exchange, and Phytochemical Quality of Nasturtium (<i>Tropaeolum majus</i> L.) Subjected to Proline Concentrations and Salinity |
| title_sort | growth gas exchange and phytochemical quality of nasturtium i tropaeolum majus i l subjected to proline concentrations and salinity |
| topic | abiotic stress edible flowers nasturtium osmoprotectants salt stress |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/3/301 |
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