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The Dual Function of Lysine as Iron-Chelator and Active Compound Benefits Productivity and Drought Tolerance of Nigella sativa L

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Abstract

Drought stress is affecting crop production worldwide. One promising strategy to reduce the negative effect of drought stress is the foliar application of micronutrients, such as zinc or iron. However, the uptake efficiency over the leaf surface depends on nutrient solubility. In this study the effect of inorganic iron FeSO4 and lysine-chelated iron (Fe-Lys) on productivity and drought tolerance of Nigella sativa L. (Nigella or black cumin) was compared. Moreover, the role of lysine itself was investigated. Spraying leaves with Fe-Lys improved growth and yield under control and drought stress conditions, while FeSO4 had only minor effects. Surprisingly, plants on which only lysine was applied showed many of the improvements of Fe-Lys application, including increased activity of antioxidative enzymes and ion levels. Our results suggest that foliar Fe-Lys application is a promising approach to minimize drought stress effects in Nigella. Moreover, they point to an important function of lysine in drought stress tolerance. The molecular mechanism, further steps to improve the approach and the result’s relevance for other plant species are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the technical staff of the Department of Botany at Government College University Faisalabad for help with setting up experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China

    Anam Ayyoub, Diana Zhanakhmetova & Johannes Liesche

  2. Department of Botany, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan

    Anam Ayyoub, Qasim Ali, Sara Zafar & Beenish Afzal

  3. Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, 8010, Austria

    Johannes Liesche

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  1. Anam Ayyoub
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  2. Qasim Ali
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The study was designed by AA and QA. Experimental work and data collection was carried out by AA with help by SZ and BA. Data analysis was performed by AA, DZ and JL. The manuscript was written by AA and JL with help from all authors.

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Ayyoub, A., Ali, Q., Zafar, S. et al. The Dual Function of Lysine as Iron-Chelator and Active Compound Benefits Productivity and Drought Tolerance of Nigella sativa L. J Plant Growth Regul 43, 1801–1813 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-023-11217-3

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