Jasmonates and salicylic acid accentuate longevity in ray florets of Calendula officinalis L. by attenuating postharvest oxidative stress

• Published in: Indian journal of plant physiology 2022-06, Vol.27 (2), p.282-294
• Main Authors: Lone, Mohammad Lateef, ul Haq, Aehsan, Farooq, Sumira, Altaf, Foziya, Parveen, Shazia, Tahir, Inayatullah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; Antioxidants; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Calendula officinalis; Cell Biology; Control stability; Distilled water; Environmental stress; Enzymatic activity; Ethylene; Flowers; Growth regulators; Hydrogen peroxide; Jasmonic acid; Life Sciences; Methyl jasmonate; Microorganisms; Organs; Original Article; Oxidative stress; Phenols; Plant Biochemistry; Plant Ecology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Salicylic acid; Senescence
• ISSN: 2662-253X; 0019-5502; 2662-2548; 0974-0252
• DOI: 10.1007/s40502-022-00656-x

Oxidative stress is hypothesized as hallmark for instigation of floral senescence in ethylene insensitive species. Pertinently, jasmonates and salicylic acid have been emerging as novel growth regulators known to retort and provide immunity to plant organs against environmental stresses like senescence. In this perspective, the current study explicates the efficacy of salicylic acid and jasmonates (jasmonic acid and methyl jasmonate) in alleviating the postharvest oxidative stress and delaying senescence in ray florets of Calendula officinalis ; an ethylene insensitive flower. The harvested flower buds were subjected to salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA) at 40 µM and methyl jasmonate (MJ) at 0.50 µM concentrations. An additional collection of flowers placed in distilled water (DW) represented control. Our investigation elucidated that jasmonates and SA repressed senescence in Calendula markedly, concomitant with improved performance of flowers. The growth regulators accentuated the antioxidant enzyme activities, prevented accumulation of hydrogen peroxide, maintained higher levels of total phenols, sugar fractions and soluble proteins in ray florets, besides improving the membrane stability against control. The growth regulators also impeded bacterial proliferation in vase solutions which was commensurate with maximum solution uptake in flowers. Our observations imply that jasmonates and SA delay senescence of C. officinalis predominantly by reinforcing the antioxidant machinery and curtailing microbial growth in vase.