Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Scientia Horticulturae, cilt.313, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)
Drought, which is increasingly in important worldwide because of climate change, has also become an existential threat to bedding plants. This study aimed to determine the effect of salicylic and succinic acid on the physiological and biochemical traits of flowering kale plants grown under drought stress. Seeds of the Brassica oleracea (Acephala group) cv. 'Red Pigeon F1′ were used as plant material. The seeds were treated with 3 different concentrations of succinic acid (0.5 mM, 1.0 mM, and 2.0 mM) and salicylic acid (0.5 mM, 1.0 mM, 2.0 mM). In the early seedling stage, the untreated seedlings (the negative control) and seedlings treated with succinic and salicylic acid were exposed to severe drought stress conditions while the positive control (no treatment) was watered to 100% of its field capacity. The experiment was terminated when symptoms of drought stress were observed in 50% of the seedlings in the negative control group. Relative chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, leaf temperature, leaf relative water content, leaf area, membrane permeability, lipid peroxidation, proline content and antioxidant enzyme activity were recorded. As a result of the study, succinic and salicylic acid were found to be effective in countering stress mechanisms of flowering kale seedlings. The MDA content (58.56 nmol g−1 FW) and membrane injury (43.12%) reached the highest value in untreated seedlings under drought conditions. Antioxidant enzyme activities, relative chlorophyll content and proline content of seedlings treated with succinic and salicylic acid were higher than both the negative control and positive control. The 2.0 mM succinic acid and 2.0 mM salicylic acid treatments improved the stomatal conductance by 69.39% and 68.43%. Leaf relative water content was also better in drought-stressed seedlings treated with succinic and salicylic acid compared to the negative control. The results of the study showed that drought stress tolerance increased in flowering kale after both salicylic and succinic acid treatments. Succinic acid can be an elicitor candidate and it might be used to increase stress tolerance in plants.