Synergistic phytohormone crosstalk enhances nickel detoxification, antioxidant defense and yield in isabgol (Plantago ovata).
Mehmood H, Murtaza G, Ali S, Alwutayd KM, Alharbi HM
Phytoremediation
It offers a low-cost, chemical-free toolkit — using plant's own signaling molecules — that farmers could spray on crops growing in polluted soils to protect both harvests and food safety.
Nickel pollution in soil can cripple plant growth, slashing the height, weight, and green color of plants like psyllium. Scientists tested whether spraying a mix of four natural plant hormones could act like a rescue team — and it worked remarkably well, nearly doubling root weight and boosting seed production by 51%. Even better, the seeds themselves ended up with far less harmful nickel in them, making the harvest safer to eat.
Key Findings
Nickel stress (100 mg/kg soil) cut psyllium shoot length by 44.6% and chlorophyll content by 52.7% compared to uncontaminated plants.
The four-compound hormone blend increased seed yield by 51.16% and reduced nickel accumulation in seeds by 49.69% relative to nickel-stressed plants with no treatment.
Antioxidant enzyme activity surged dramatically under the treatment, with ascorbate peroxidase rising 73.4% and glutathione reductase 64.8%, helping plants neutralize cellular damage from nickel toxicity.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers found that spraying isabgol (psyllium) plants with a blend of four naturally occurring plant compounds dramatically reversed the damage caused by nickel-contaminated soil, boosting seed yield by over 50% and cutting nickel absorption into seeds by nearly half.
Abstract Preview
The synergistic effect of caffeic, jasmonic and salicylic acids and abscisic acid was highly effective in reducing the phytotoxic effect of Ni in isabgol plants by promoting growth, physiological p...
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Psyllium, or Isabgol or ispaghula, is the common name used for several members of the plant genus Plantago whose seeds are used commercially for the production of mucilage. Psyllium is mainly used as a dietary fiber to relieve symptoms of both constipation and mild diarrhea, and occasionally as a...