Impact of Using Foliar Spraying of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract as Bio-stimulant of Faba Bean (Vicia faba ) Plants Grown Under Drought Stress | ||
| البحوث التطبيقية في العلوم والانسانيات | ||
| Volume 2, Issue 1, 2025, Pages 186-209 PDF (944.79 K) | ||
| Document Type: المقالة الأصلية | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/aash.2025.459841 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Ahmed Mostafa Shehata; Antonyous Awad Adly; Apanop Victor Fakhry; Fady Wael Farid; Mohammed Gamal Ismail; Samy Mahrous Sharmoukh; Rania Samy Hanafy | ||
| Professor of plant physiology, Ain Shams University, Faculty of Education | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Drought is a critical environmental stressor that significantly decreases crop productivity. Previous studies have highlighted the beneficial effects of Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MLAE) in mitigating abiotic stresses, including drought, in plants. The external application of MLAE is widely recognized for its role in regulating various physiological and biochemical processes in plants exposed to drought stress. This study aimed to assess the impact of foliar application of MLAE (20) on faba beans (Vicia faba L. cv. Nubaria 1), focusing on growth parameters (shoot and root length, fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots), photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, and total pigments), leaf relative water content, non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbic acid and anthocyanin), osmolyte compounds (proline), as well as yield quantity and quality. Special attention was given to the total carbohydrate and protein content in the harvested plants grown under both normal and drought-stressed conditions. Drought stress treatments were applied based on soil water holding capacity, with irrigation levels set at 60% (moderate drought stress) and 40% (severe drought stress) of field capacity. Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MLAE) was prepared at a concentration of 20 times. Water deficit (60% and 40% of field capacity) markedly reduced faba bean growth, as well as the quantity and quality of yield, by decreasing photosynthetic pigments and relative water content (RWC). This was accompanied by significant increases in certain non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbic acid and anthocyanin) and the osmolyte compound proline. Conversely, the application of MLAE (20) improved all growth parameters and enhanced yield quantity and quality (total carbohydrates and total proteins) by positively influencing these physiological and biochemical traits in faba bean plants under both normal and drought stress conditions. Overall, MLAE (20) proved to be the most effective treatment in mitigating the adverse effects of drought stress on faba bean plants. In conclusion, applying MLAE (20) as a foliar treatment not only enhanced the growth and yield of faba bean plants under normal irrigation conditions but also mitigated the adverse effects of drought stress on the plants. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Drought; Moringa; antioxidants; Osmolytes; yield | ||
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