Aqueous Plant Extracts as Eco-Friendly Biostimulants Enhancing Germination and Early Growth of Durum Wheat under Salinity Stress

Imene Brahim; Siham Zaaboubi; Abdelghani Djerah; Akram Ben Khemiss; Nacer Salah  Neghmouche

doi:10.56093/aaz.v64i3.171001

Authors

Imene Brahim LAPAPEZA Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, Institute of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Batna 1 University, Batna, Algeria, 05000.
Siham Zaaboubi LAPAPEZA Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, Institute of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Batna 1 University, Batna, Algeria, 05000.
Abdelghani Djerah LAPAPEZA Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, Institute of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Batna 1 University, Batna, Algeria, 05000.
Akram Ben Khemiss Department of Agriculture, Institute of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Batna 1 University, Batna, Algeria, 05000.
Nacer Salah Neghmouche Department of Chemistry Faculty of Exact Sciences University of El Oued, B.P. 789 RP El-Oued, 39000 El-Oued ALGERIA

https://doi.org/10.56093/aaz.v64i3.171001

Keywords:

Durum wheat, salinity stress, germination,, rosemary, white sagebrush, plant extracts, antioxidants

Abstract

Salinity is a major factor limiting wheat production in arid and semi-arid regions. This study evaluated the effects of aqueous extracts from Artemisia herba-alba (white sagebrush) and Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) on the germination of durum wheat (Triticum durum, cv. Simeto) under saline conditions. Seeds were treated with different extract concentrations and exposed to varying levels of NaCl. Germination parameters, including total germination percentage, corrected germination, daily germination, germination index, germination speed coefficient, and final germination percentage, were recorded over six days. Results showed that rosemary extracts, especially at low doses, significantly improved germination rate and seed vigor, probably due to the antioxidant properties of phenolic compounds present in extract. In contrast, high concentrations of rosemary extracts reduced germination, indicating potential phytotoxicity. Statistical analysis confirmed that both extract type and concentration, as well as salt stress, significantly affected germination traits. These findings suggest that controlled application of rosemary extracts can be an effective, natural, and low-cost strategy to mitigate the negative effects of salinity on durum wheat germination. This approach could contribute to enhancing wheat production in saline-prone areas while minimizing reliance on chemical treatments.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abd El-Gawad A M, Zeinab A.A. and Abdel-Rahman R M. 2014. Effect of mineral and biofertilizer on wheat yield and its components. Journal of Soil Sciences and Agricultural Engineering 5(9): 1143-1154. doi:10.21608/jssae.2014.53172

Aishah H.S., Saberi, A.R., Halim, R.A., Zaharah A.R. 2010. Salinity effects on germination of forage sorghums. Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment 8(3-4): 1235-1240.

Akinmoladun, F.O., Olaleye, T.M. and Komolafe, T.R. 2014. Phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of Rosmarinus officinalis. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research 8(20): 1011-1017. doi:10.5897/JMPR2013.5343

Araniti, F., Lupini, A., Sorgonà, A., Conforti F., Marrelli, M., Statti, G.A., Abenavoli, M.R. 2013. Allelopathic potential of Artemisia arborescens L. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 50: 141-146. doi:10.1016/j.bse.2013.04.007

Ashraf, M. and Foolad, M.R. 2007. Roles of glycine betaine and proline in improving plant abiotic stress resistance. Environmental and Experimental Botany 59(2): 206-216. doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2005.12.006

Ben Mrid R, Hafidi M, Ouhdouch Y. 2021. Biostimulants naturels à base d’ortie : Effets sur la laitue sous stress salin. Scientia Horticulturae, , 281: 109984. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2021.109984

Bendif H, Boudjeniba M, Miara M D, Biqiku L, Bramucci M, Caprioli G, et al. 2017. Rosmarinus eriocalyx: An alternative to Rosmarinus

officinalis as a source of antioxidant compounds. Food Chemistry 218: 78-88. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.09.029

Bewley, J.D. and Black, M. 1994. Seeds: Physiology of development and germination [M]. New York: Plenum Press, : 445 p. doi:10.1007/978-1-4899-1002-8

Bora, K.S., Sharma, A. 2011. The genus Artemisia: a comprehensive review . Pharmaceutical Biology, 49(1): 101-109. doi:10.3109/13880209.2010.497815

Boukhatem, M.N., Kameli, A., Ferhat, M.A. 2019. Effet des extraits d’armoise et romarin sur la tolérance au stress hydrique . Journal of Essential Oil Research 31(3): 251-258. doi:10.1080/10412905.2018.1562314

Bulgari, R., Franzoni G, Ferrante A. 2019. Biostimulants application in horticultural crops under abiotic stress conditions. Agronomy 9(6):306. doi:10.3390/agronomy9060306

Calvo, P., Nelson, L. and Kloepper, J.W. 2014. Agricultural uses of plant biostimulants. Plant and Soil 383(1): 3-41. doi:10.1007/s11104-014-2131-8

Du Jardin P. 2015. Plant biostimulants: Definition, concept, main categories and regulation. Scientia Horticulturae 196: 3-14. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2015.09.021

Flowers, T.J. and Colmer, T.D. 2015. Plant salt tolerance: adaptations in halophytes. Annals of Botany 115(3): 327-331. doi:10.1093/aob/mcu267

Gill, S.S. and Tuteja, N. 2010. Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant machinery in abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 48(12): 909-930. doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2010.08.016

Inci, M., Zararsız, İ., Davarcı M. and Görür, S. 2013. Toxic effects of formaldehyde on the urinary system. Turkish Journal of Urology 39(1): 48-52.doi:10.5152/tud.2013.011

Kaya, M.D., Okçu, G., Atak, M., Çıkılı, Y. and Kolsarıcı Ö. 2008. Seed treatments to overcome salt and drought stress during germination in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). European Journal of Agronomy 24(4): 291-295. doi:10.1016/j.eja.2005.08.001

Munns, R. and Gilliham, M. 2015. Salinity tolerance of crops – what is the cost?. New Phytologist 208(3): 668-673. doi:10.1111/nph.13519

Munns, R. and Tester, M. 2008. Mechanisms of salinity tolerance. Annual Review of Plant Biology 59: 651-681. doi:10.1146/annurev.

arplant.59.032607.092911

Pintore, G., Usai, M., Bradesi, P., Juliano, C., Boatto, G., Tomi, F., Chessa, M., Cerri, R., Casanova, J., Bighelli, A., Cioni, P.L. and Flamini, G. 2002. Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. oils from Sardinia and Corsica. Food Chemistry 82(2): 187-193. doi:10.1016/S0308-8146(02)00523-6

Rengasamy, P. 2010. Soil processes affecting crop production in salt-affected soils. Functional Plant Biology 37(7): 613-620. doi:10.1071/FP09249

Rouphael, Y. and Colla, G. 2020. Biostimulants in agriculture. Frontiers in Plant Science 11: 40.doi:10.3389/fpls.2020.00040

Zeiger, E. 2002. Plant physiology M. 4th ed. Sunderland: Sinauer Associates.

Zhu, J.K. 2016. Abiotic stress signaling and responses in plants. Cell, 2016, 167(2): 313-324. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2016.08.029