Enhancing Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum L.) Tolerance to Water Deficiency through Putrescine Foliar Spray

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
S. Mafakheri
B. Asghari
N. Azad
Department of Horticultural Science Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Islamic Republic of Iran.
10.22034/JAST.27.4.831
Abstract
Water deficiency poses a significant challenge to global agricultural systems, impacting crop performance and product quality. Compounds like putrescine have demonstrated the potential to enhance plant resilience to environmental stresses. This pot study, conducted in 2023 at Imam Khomeini International University, Ghazvin, Iran, employed a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with three replications, aimed to assess the impact of varied irrigation levels and foliar application of putrescine on both quantitative and qualitative traits of holy basil (Ocimum sanctum L.). Water deficiency was induced at three levels (100, 75, and 50% of Field Capacity), and putrescine foliar spray was applied at concentrations of 0, 0.1, and 0.2 mM. Results indicated that water scarcity significantly reduced plant growth indices, Relative Water Content (RWC), and photosynthetic pigment levels. However, foliar spray with putrescine effectively mitigated these adverse effects. Furthermore, the combination of water deficiency and the application of 0.2 mM putrescine increased total phenolic compounds (48.76%), flavonoid compounds (54.85%), and restrained free radical DPPH (44.85%) compared to the control. Putrescine-treated plants exhibited a noteworthy increase in essential oil percentage compared to the control group. Furthermore, as water deficiency increased, the essential oil composition also increased the percentages of 1,8-cineole and methyl eugenol compared to the control plants. In conclusion, foliar application of putrescine resulted in a significant enhancement in the essential oil's key compounds in holy basil.

Keywords

Subjects

REFERENCES
Abd Elbar, O. H., Farag, R. E. and Shehata, S. A. 2019. Effect of putrescine application on some growth, biochemical and anatomical characteristics of Thymus vulgaris L. under drought stress. Ann. Agric. Sci., 64(2): 129-137.
Ahmed, A. H., Darwish, E. and Alobaidy, M. G. 2017. Impact of putrescine and 24-epibrassinolide on growth, yield and chemical constituents of cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) plant grown under drought stress conditions. Asian J. Plant. Sci., 16(1): 9-23.
Ansari, A., Andalibi, B., Zarei, M. and Shekari, F. 2021. Effect of putrescine foliar application on growth and tolerance of iberica dragon’s head (Lallemantia iberica) to lead stress. ESCS., 14(3): 861-871.
Asghari, B., Mafakheri, S., Zengin, G., Dinparast, L. and Bahadori, M.B. 2020. In-depth study of phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, enzyme inhibitory and antiproliferative properties of Achillea filipendulina: a good candidate for designing biologically active food products. J. Food Meas. Charact., 14: 2196-2208.
Bates, L., Waldren, R.P. and Teare, I.D. 1973. Rapid determination of free proline for water-stress studies. Plant and Soil., 39: 205-2072
Damalas, C.A. 2019. Improving drought tolerance in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) with salicylic Acid. Scientia Horticulturae., 246: 360-3653
Danaee, E., Shabani Fard, R. and Aghaee Hanjani, E. 2024. Effects of Polyamines on Morpho-physiological Traits of Calendula officinalis L. under Salinity Stress Caused by Potassium Chloride and Sodium Chloride Salts. Int. J. Hortic. Sci. Technol., 11(2): 189-200.
Dehghani Bidgoli, R. 2018. Effect of drought stress on some morphological characteristics, quantity and quality of essential oil in Rosemary. Adv Med Plant Res., 6 (3): 40–45.
Dehkordi, R.A., Roghani, S.R., Mafakheri, S. and Asghari, B. 2021. Effect of bio stimulants on morpho-physiological traits of various ecotypes of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) under water deficit stress. Sci. Hortic., 283: 110077.
Dere, Ş., Gunes, T., and Sivaci, R. 1998. Spectrophotometric determination of chlorophyll-A, B and total carotenoid contents of some Algae species using different solvents. Turk. J. Bot., 22(1): 13-18.
Estaji, A. and Niknam, F. 2020. Foliar salicylic acid spraying effect on growth, seed oil content, and physiology of drought-stressed Silybum marianum L. Plant. Agric. Water Manag., 234: 106-116.
Farhoudi, R. 2013. Effect of drought stress on chemical constituents, photosynthesis and antioxidant properties of Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil. JMPB., 2(1): 17-22.
Gholami Zali, A., and Ehsanzadeh, P. 2018. Exogenous proline improves osmoregulation, physiological functions, essential oil, and seed yield of fennel. Ind. Crops. Products., 111: 133–1402.
González-Hernández, A. I., Scalschi, L., Vicedo, B., Marcos-Barbero, E. L., Morcuende, R. and Camañes, G. 2022. Putrescine: A Key Metabolite Involved in Plant Development, Tolerance, and Resistance Responses to Stress. International Journal of Molecular Sciences., 23(6): 2971.
Guo, Y.Y., Yu, H.Y., Kong, D.S., Yan, F., and Zhang, Y.J. 2016. Effects of drought stress on growth and chlorophyll fluorescence of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. seedlings. Photosynthetica., 54: 524–5313
Mohammadi, H., Ghorbanpourb, M., and Bresticc, M. 2018. Exogenous putrescine changes redox regulations and essential oil constituents in field-grown Thymus vulgaris L. under well-watered and drought stress conditions. Ind. Crops. Products., 122: 119-132.
Hatamian, M., Hadian, J., and Ghorbanpour, M. 2017. Mechanisms underlying toxicity and stimulatory role of single-walledcarbon nanotubes in Hyoscyamus niger during drought stress simulated by polyethylene glycol. J. Hazard. Mater., 324: 306–320.
Hurtado, D. A. V., Franco, M. F. S., Nasser, V. G., Rocha, B. H., Silva, G. H., and Macedo, W. R. 2023. Putrescine and deficit irrigation as regulatory factors in basil plants metabolism and morpho-physiology. Ciência e Natura., 45: 14-24.
Kalamartzis, I., Menexes, G., Georgiou, P., and Dordas, Ch. 2020. Effect of water stress on the physiological characteristics of five basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars. Agronomy., 10(7): 1029. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10071029.
Kamrava, S., Babaeian Jolodar, N., and Bagheri, N. 2017. Evaluation of drought stress on chlorophyll and proline traits in soybean genotypes. J. Crop Breed., 9(23): 95–105.
Kusano, T., Kim, D. W., Liu, T., and Berberich, T. 2015. Polyamine catabolism in plants. Polyamines: A Universal Molecular Nexus for Growth, Survival, and Specialized Metabolism, 77-88.
Karaman, S., Kirecci, O. A., and Ilcim, A. 2008. Influence of polyamines (Spermine, Spermidine and Putrescine) on the essential oil composition of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). J. Essent. Oil Res., 20(4): 288-292.
Kundu, A., Mishra, S., Kundu, P., Jogawat, A. and Vadassery, J. 2022. Piriformospora indica recruits host-derived putrescine for growth promotion in plants. Plant Physiology., 188(4): 2289-2307.
Lichtenthaler, H. K. and Wellburn, A. R. 1985. Determination of Total Carotenoids and Chlorophylls A and B of Leaf in Different Solvents. Biol. Soc. Trans., 11: 591-592.
Mafakheri, S., and Asghari, B. 2018. Effect of Seaweed Extract, Humic Acid and Chemical Fertilizers on Morphological, Physiological and Biochemical Characteristics of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. JAST., 20(7): 1505-1516.
Minhas, P. S., Rane, J., and Pasala, R. K. 2017. Abiotic stresses in agriculture: An overview. In Abiotic Stress Management for Resilient Agriculture., 2: 3–8.
Morshedloo, M. R., Craker, L. E., Salami, A., Nazeri, V., Sang, H., and Magg, F. 2017. Effect of prolonged water stress on essential oil content: Compositions and gene expression patterns of mono- and sesquiterpene synthesis in two oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) subspecies. Int. J. Plant Physiol. Biochem., 111: 119–128.
Nguyen, T., Choi, W. S., Lee, J. H., and Cheong, J. 2022. Biosynthesis of essential oil compounds in Ocimum tenuiflorum is induced by abiotic stresses. Plant Biosyst., 156(2): 353–357.
Osama, S., El Sherei, M., Al-Mahdy, D. A., Bishr, M., and Salama, O. 2019. Effect of salicylic acid foliar spraying on growth parameters, γ-pyrones, phenolic content and radical scavenging activity of drought stressed Ammi visnaga L. plant. Ind Crops Prod., 134: 1-10.
Rahman, S., Iqbal, M. and Husen A. 2023. Medicinal plants and abiotic stress: an overview. Medicinal Plants: Their Response to Abiotic Stress, 1-34.
Shahroudi, E., Zarinkamar, F. and Rezayian, M. 2023. Putrescin modulates metabolic and physiological characteristics of Thymus daenensis under drought stress. Sci. Hortic., 321: 112268.
Singh, N., and Pandey, B. K. 2018. Essential oil extraction from Ocimum sanctum leaves: A comparative study of hydrodistillation and solvent extraction methods. RJPP., 7(1): 262-265.
Shi, H., and Chan, Z. 2014. Improvement of plant abiotic stress tolerance through modulation of the polyamine pathway. J. Integr. Plant Biol., 56(2): 114-121.
Singh, D., and Chaudhuri, P. K. 2018. A review on phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum L.). Ind. Crop. Prod. J., 118, 367–382.
Tiburcio, A. F., Altabella, T., Bitrián, M., and Alcázar, R. 2014. The roles of polyamines during the life span of plants: from development to stress. Planta., 240(1): 1–18.
Valko, M., Leibfritz D., Moncol, J., Cronin, M.T., Mazur, M. and Telser J. 2007. Free radicals and antioxidants in normal physiological functions and human disease. Int. J. Biochem. Cell Biol., 39:44–84.
Wagay, N. A., Rafiq, S., Khan, A., Kaloo Z. A., Malik A. R., and Pulate, P. V. 2023. Impact of phenolics on drought stress and expression of phenylpropanoid pathway genes. In Plant Phenolics in Abiotic Stress Management. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. pp. 265-285.
Yousefi, F., Jabbarzadeh, Z., Amiri, J., Rasouli-Sadaghiani, M., and Shaygan, A. 2021. Foliar application of polyamines improves some morphological and physiological characteristics of rose. Folia Horticulturae., 33(1):147-156.
Zahedi, M., and Asadi-Gharneh, H. A. 2023. Quality and Quantity of Dill Essential Oil as Influenced by Foliar Application of Polyamines. JMPB., 10.22034/JMPB.2023.362464.1566
Zeinali, R., Najafian, S., and Hosseinifarahi, M. 2023. Exogenous putrescine changes biochemical (antioxidant activity, polyphenol, flavonoid, and total phenol compounds) and essential oil constituents of Salvia officinalis L. Chem. Biodiversity., 20(11): e202301043.
Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology
Volume 27, Issue 4
July and August 2025
Pages 831-846