Role of stigmasterol and folic acid in improving the growth and yield of flax under drough

Document Type : Original articles

Authors

1 Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, Damietta, Egypt

2 Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, Damietta, Egypt.

Abstract

Seeds of flax (Linum usitatissimum L., Giza 9) were soaked in 5ml of either tap water, stigmasterol (100 ppm) or folic acid(200 ppm) for 12 hand then sown in clay/sand soil (2/1, w/w) in plastic pots. On the 24th day after sowing (24 DAS),water regime was applied as the first group was divided into 2 parts, one watered weekly (control) and the other watered every 2 weeks (drought) while both soaked groups were watered every 2 weeks (drought+stigmasterol) and (drought+folic acid), respectively and samples were taken until seed harvest. Drought resulted in a significant decrease in shoot height and root length, fresh and dry weights of shoot and root, leaf number, number of capsules and seeds and photosynthetic pigments contents. Meanwhile, total insoluble sugars and protein were significantly decreased; however, increases were detected in total soluble sugars, proline, lipid peroxidation and H2O2. Seed priming with either stigmasterol or folic acid caused an increases in fresh and dry weights, leaf number, number of capsules, number of seeds and protein content comparing with stressed plants but without reaching control values concomitant with an enhancement in proline accumulation and decreases in H2O2and lipid peroxidation. These findings conclude that presoaking of flax seeds with stigmasterol or folic acid improved to some extent- plant growth under drought due to the improvement of photosynthetic apparatus and anabolic processes synchronous with alleviation of oxidative stress and elevation of proline with its role in osmoregulation.

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