title: Exogenous nitric oxide donor protects Artemisia annua from oxidative stress generated by boron and aluminium toxicity.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signal molecule modulating the response of plants to environmental stress. Here we report the effects of boron (B) and aluminium (Al) contamination in soil, carried out with or without application of exogenous SNP (NO donor), on various plant processes in Artemisia annua, including changes in artemisinin content. The addition of B or Al to soil medium significantly reduced the yield and growth of plants and lowered the values of net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, internal CO(2) concentration and total chlorophyll content. The follow-up treatment of NO donor favoured growth and improved the photosynthetic efficiency in stressed as well as non-stressed plants. Artemisinin content was enhanced by 24.6% and 43.8% at 1mmole of soil-applied B or Al. When SNP was applied at 2mmole concentration together with either 1mmole of B and/or Al, it further stimulated artemisinin biosynthesis compared to the control. Application of B+Al+SNP proved to be the best treatment combination for the artemisinin content in Artemisia annua leaves.
authors.affiliation: Division of Germplasm Evaluation, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110012, India. tarik.alig@gmail.com
authors.forename: Tariq
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aftab
authors.forename: M Masroor A
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naeem
authors.forename: Mohd
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Idrees
authors.lastname: Moinuddin
authors.forename: Jaime A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Teixeira da Silva
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ram
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000633:toxicity*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D031172:Artemisia annua / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000378:metabolism; D001895:Boron / Q000633:toxicity*; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000494:pharmacology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D037621:Artemisinins; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002734:Chlorophyll; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C031327:artemisinin; D000535:Aluminum; D001895:Boron