Abstract
Beet growth and sugar production are strongly impacted by drought. Nitric oxide (NO) donors, such as sodium nitroprusside (SNP), have shown promising results in the alleviation of drought stress; however, these effects were not evaluated in beet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of SNP on the morphophysiology and sugar content of beets for human consumption under moderate and severe drought stresses, as well as the role of SNP in the recovery of plants upon re-watering. For this, two experimental sets were performed. In the first, beet plantlets were irrigated with 80% of water holding capacity (WHC—well-watered), 15% WHC (moderate stress), or water restricted (severe stress) up to 36 days after sowing (DAS). In the second, beets were irrigated with 80% WHC, 15% WHC, re-watered after water restriction, or late water restriction (from 44 to 66 DAS). In both sets, beets were leaf sprayed with 100-µM SNP or water. The gas exchanges, photosynthetic pigments, chlorophyll fluorescence, electrolyte leakage, water content, and growth were determined in both developmental stages, and sugar content was determined in 66-d-old plants. 15% WHC and water restriction reduced growth and photosynthetic capacity of plants in both developmental stages, with 36-d-old plantlets being more sensitive than 66-d-old beet plants. SNP reversed the negative effects of 15% WHC but not those of water restriction. Re-watering fully recovered growth and photosynthetic capacity of drought-stressed beets independently of SNP. In summary, SNP alleviated moderate drought stress in beet by modulating its photosynthetic capacity.
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We thank the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq—Brazil), Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), and Federal University of Paraíba (FAPESQ/UFPB) for the scholarships granted to the students.
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This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Brasília, DF, Brazil: Grants no. 301858/2023-3 to JMH and PQ 304214/2022–1 to DSB), Research Support Foundation of the State of Paraíba /Federal University of Paraíba (FAPESQ/UFPB), and Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES, Brasília, DF, Brazil).
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LMF, JMH, and DSB designed the study; LMF, JMH, JJVAM, DSG, SKS, ASL, and DJA performed the experiments and the analyses; LMF, JMH, and DSB analyzed the data; LMF, JMH, and DSB wrote the article with input from all other authors. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
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Ferreira, L.M., Henschel, J.M., de Almeida Mendes, J.J.V. et al. Sodium Nitroprusside Alleviates Moderate Drought Stress in Beet (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. vulgaris) by Modulating Its Photosynthetic Capacity. J Plant Growth Regul 43, 755–769 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-023-11135-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-023-11135-4