Impact of the microalga Dunaliella salina (Dunal) Teodoresco culture and its β-carotene extract on the development of salt-stressed squash (Cucurbita pepo L. cv. Mabrouka)

• Published in: Physiology and molecular biology of plants 2022-04, Vol.28 (4), p.749-762
• Main Authors: El-Adl, Magda F., Deyab, Mohamed A., Ghazal, Mai A., Elsadany, Abdelgawad Y.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algae; Antioxidants; Bioactive compounds; Biological and Medical Physics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biophysics; Carotene; Carotenoids; Cell Biology; Crop production; Cucurbita pepo; Dilution; Dunaliella salina; Food security; Hormones; Life Sciences; Open systems; Phenols; Phosphorus; Photosynthesis; Photosynthetic pigments; Pigments; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Research Article; Salicylic acid; Salinity; Salinity effects; Salinity tolerance; Salt tolerance; Seawater; β-Carotene
• ISSN: 0971-5894; 0974-0430
• DOI: 10.1007/s12298-022-01176-6

Salinity is a major threat to crop production and global food security. Algae and their extracts containing bioactive compounds can enhance the salt tolerance of plants, including the salt-sensitive plants. The current study evaluated the efficacy of Dunaliella salina (Dunal) Teodoresco culture and/or its β-carotene extract in improving the salt tolerance of squash (Cucurbita pepo L. cv. Mabrouka). Amendment of C. pepo with D. salina culture and/or its β-carotene extract was more effective in alleviating the impact of moderate salinity imposed by seawater dilution of 2.5 dS m −1 than either low (0.55 dS m −1 ) or high (3.5 dS m −1 ) salinity, with a comparable effect to that of salicylic acid (SA). Plants that received a combination of D. salina culture and its β-carotene extract showed significantly higher growth (total biomass, fruit productivity) and physiological attributes (photosynthetic pigments, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K + ) contents) than those receiving either amendment alone, reaching up to 80–90% of the SA-treated plants at moderate salinity (2.5 dS m −1 ). The combination could enhance the antioxidant activity of moderately salt-stressed C. pepo via increasing carotenoids and phenolics contents, suggesting that this combination could enhance the adaptation of C. pepo to the moderate salinity. The present study recommends using the blooms of D. salina and its β-carotene that is naturally secreted in situ in natural or synthetic open systems in improving the salt tolerance of C. pepo instead of using the expensive synthetic hormones.