A silicon-based formulation enhances antioxidant defense and biochemical stability in heat-stressed cotton

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Biology at the National University of Uzbekistan, 100174, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2 Department of Natural Compounds and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, National University of Uzbekistan, 100174, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
3 Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Biology and Ecology, National University of Uzbekistan, 100174, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
4 Department of Botany and Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Ecology, National University of Uzbekistan, 100174, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
5 Department of Agronomy and Soil Science, Bukhara State University, Muhammad Iqbol Street 11, 705018, Bukhara, Uzbekistan
6 Grain and legume research institute, Bukhara scientific experimental station, Bukhara district, 200407 Bukhara, Uzbekistan
7 Department of Horticulture and Vegetable Growing, Fergana State University,150100 Fergana, Uzbekistan
8 Department of Soil Science, Fergana State University, 150100 Fergana, Uzbekistan
Abstract
Global temperature rise increasingly exposes crops to heat stress, leading to oxidative damage and reduced productivity. The present study investigated the effects of seed priming with a silicon-based formulation on antioxidant defense mechanisms and biochemical responses in two cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars (Bukhara-8 and Bukhara-102) under short-term heat stress (45 °C for 6 h). Seeds were primed with the commercial silicon-based formulation Aminosid-Silicon (170 mg Si L⁻¹) and evaluated using a 2 × 2 × 3 factorial experimental design. Heat stress increased oxidative damage, whereas treatment with the silicon-based formulation enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities. The greatest response was observed for POD activity, which increased from 22.0 to 29.6 U mg⁻¹ protein in Bukhara-102, while H₂O₂ content decreased from 158.2 to 119.4 nmol g⁻¹ FW under heat stress. The silicon-based formulation also promoted proline accumulation, and Pearson correlation analysis revealed coordinated relationships among antioxidant enzymes, oxidative stress markers, and proline. Overall, the results indicate that seed priming with the silicon-based formulation enhanced biochemical protection against acute heat stress by strengthening antioxidant defense and reducing oxidative damage in cotton seedlings.
Keywords
Subjects

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 19 July 2026