Enhancing drought resistance in grass pea: The positive regulatory role of plant-smoke solution

Abstract

Drought stress poses a significant challenge to agricultural productivity as a primary consequence of climate change. This study aimed to investigate the potential of plant-derived smoke solutions as a novel, natural, and environmentally friendly factor for enhancing drought resistance in grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.). For this, two varieties of grass pea were independently assessed under three different drought stress (control, moderate and severe) after priming with smoke solution. Drought stress was modulated by water deficiency as the last 4 days in moderate and 8 days in severe drought. Grass pea seeds primed with smoke solution derived from poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) at doses of 1 %, 10 % and with distilled water as control. Biometric measurements, chlorophyll pigments, secondary metabolite levels, and biochemical parameters were analyzed in the experiments. The results indicated that grass pea was sensitive to drought, with no discernible differences between the two varieties. The application of smoke solutions resulted in increased fresh and dry weight for plants grown under both control and drought conditions. While 1 % of smoke solution had a notable impact on leaf relative water content (LRWC), 10 % primarily influenced chlorophyll pigments and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Additionally, smoke solutions resulted in increased anthocyanin and secondary metabolite levels. These findings suggest that smoke solutions enhanced the defense mechanisms against drought stress in grass pea, but this improvement varies depending on the solution doses. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that poppy derived smoke solutions have the potential to offer a novel and natural approach for enhancing drought resistance in plants. It also encourages new studies to examine the interaction of different smoke solutions and plants against drought stress. (c) 2024 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.