Methanol foliar spraying improves biochemical and physiological attributes of coriander (Coriandrum sativum) plants under salt stress

Mohammadzadeh, Mahyar; Niknejad, Yousof; Habibi, Ebrahim; Ghandi, Mohadeseh

doi:10.22058/jpmb.2025.2051033.1328

Methanol foliar spraying improves biochemical and physiological attributes of coriander (Coriandrum sativum) plants under salt stress

Document Type : Original research paper

Authors

Mahyar Mohammadzadeh ¹

Yousof Niknejad ²

Ebrahim Habibi ¹

Mohadeseh Ghandi ¹

¹ National Skills Training Center for Girls in Amol-(Tohid)

² Department of Agronomy, Ayatollah Amoli Branch, Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran

10.22058/jpmb.2025.2051033.1328

Abstract

Salinity stress is one of the most significant factors limiting plant growth; therefore, using compounds such as methanol to mitigate the harmful effects of stress is of great importance. This study aimed to investigate the effect of methanol spraying on the physiological and biochemical characteristics of coriander (Coriandrum sativum) plants under salinity stress conditions in a greenhouse experiment. Salinity treatment was applied at two levels (control and 80 mM NaCl) and methanol was exogenously applied at four concentrations (control, 10%, 20%, and 30%). The results indicated that under salinity stress conditions, the application of methanol led to a significant increase in various traits. Superoxide dismutase enzyme activity increased by 23% with 30% methanol spraying under salinity stress. Additionally, polyphenol oxidase enzyme activity rose by 51% with 30% methanol at 80 mM salinity, while catalase activity increased by 29%. Proline content also increased by 124% under salinity stress, while malondialdehyde content decreased by 63% in these conditions. Overall, 30% methanol enhances stress tolerance in plants under salinity conditions by improving antioxidant enzyme activities, protein content, and osmoprotective mechanisms. These findings suggest the role of methanol's in mitigating the effects of salinity stress on plant physiology.

Keywords

Electrolyte leakage

enzyme

malondialdehyde

pigment

sodium chloride

Subjects

Biotic and abiotic stress in plants

Abdelaal, K., AlKahtani, M., Attia, K., Hafez, Y., Király, L., & Künstler, A. (2021). The role of plant growth-promoting bacteria in alleviating the adverse effects of drought on plants. Biology, 10(6), 520.

Alexieva, V., Sergiev, I., Mapelli, S., & Karanov, E. (2001). The effect of drought and ultraviolet radiation on growth and stress markers in pea and wheat. Plant, Cell & Environment, 24(12), 1337-1344.

Azeem, M., Pirjan, K., Qasim, M., Mahmood, A., Javed, T., Muhammad, H., & Rahimi, M. (2023). Salinity stress improves antioxidant potential by modulating physio-biochemical responses in Moringa oleifera Lam. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 2895.

Bates, L. S., Waldren, R. P. A., & Teare, I. D. (1973). Rapid determination of free proline for water-stress studies. Plant and soil, 39, 205-207.

Bayat, H., Shafie, F., & Shahraki, B. (2022). Salinity effects on growth, chlorophyll content, total phenols, and antioxidant activity in Salvia lavandulifolia Vahl. Advances in Horticultural Science, 36(2), 145-153.

Bradford, M. M. (1976). A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Analytical biochemistry, 72(1-2), 248-254.

Browne, M., Yardimci, N. T., Scoffoni, C., Jarrahi, M., & Sack, L. (2020). Prediction of leaf water potential and relative water content using terahertz radiation spectroscopy. Plant Direct, 4(4), e00197.

Cakmak, I., & Horst, W. J. (1991). Effect of aluminium on lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase activities in root tips of soybean (Glycine max). Physiologia plantarum, 83(3), 463-468.

Diederichsen, A., Banniza, S., Armstrong-Cho, C., & Sander, T. (2020). Coriandrum sativum L.–Coriander. Medicinal, Aromatic and Stimulant Plants, 265-281.

Dorokhov, Y. L., Sheshukova, E. V., & Komarova, T. V. (2018). Methanol in plant life. Frontiers in plant science, 9, 1623.

Dorokhov, Y. L., Shindyapina, A. V., Sheshukova, E. V., & Komarova, T. V. (2015). Metabolic methanol: molecular pathways and physiological roles. Physiological reviews, 95(2), 603-644.

El Moukhtari, A., Cabassa-Hourton, C., Farissi, M., & Savouré, A. (2020). How does proline treatment promote salt stress tolerance during crop plant development?. Frontiers in plant science, 11, 1127.

Gantait, S., Sharangi, A. B., Mahanta, M., & Meena, N. K. (2022). Agri-biotechnology of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.): an inclusive appraisal. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 106(3), 951-969.

Goncharuk, E. A., Zubova, M. Y., Nechaeva, T. L., Kazantseva, V. V., Gulevich, A. A., Baranova, E. N., & Zagoskina, N. V. (2022). Effects of hydrogen peroxide on in vitro cultures of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) grown in the dark and in the light: morphology, content of malondialdehyde, and accumulation of various polyphenols. Molecules, 27(19), 6674.

Hnilickova, H., Kraus, K., Vachova, P., & Hnilicka, F. (2021). Salinity stress affects photosynthesis, malondialdehyde formation, and proline content in Portulaca oleracea L. Plants, 10(5), 845.

Hosseini, S. J., Tahmasebi‐Sarvestani, Z., Mokhtassi‐Bidgoli, A., Keshavarz, H., Kazemi, S., Khalvandi, M., & Nicola, S. (2023). Functional quality, antioxidant capacity and essential oil percentage in different mint species affected by salinity stress. Chemistry & Biodiversity, 20(4), e202200247.

Hosseini, S. J., Tahmasebi-Sarvestani, Z., Pirdashti, H., Modarres-Sanavy, S. A. M., Mokhtassi-Bidgoli, A., Hazrati, S., & Nicola, S. (2020). Assessment of salinity indices to identify mint ecotypes using intelligent and regression models. International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 7(2), 119-137.

Hosseini, S. J., Tahmasebi‐Sarvestani, Z., Pirdashti, H., Modarres‐Sanavy, S. A. M., Mokhtassi‐Bidgoli, A., Hazrati, S., & Nicola, S. (2021). Investigation of yield, phytochemical composition, and photosynthetic pigments in different mint ecotypes under salinity stress. Food Science & Nutrition, 9(5), 2620-2643.

Hussain, S. S., Rasheed, M., Saleem, M. H., Ahmed, Z. I., Hafeez, A., Jilani, G., & Ali, S. (2023). Salt tolerance in maize with melatonin priming to achieve sustainability in yield on salt affected soils. Pak. J. Bot, 55(1), 19-35.

Kesawat, M. S., Satheesh, N., Kherawat, B. S., Kumar, A., Kim, H. U., Chung, S. M., & Kumar, M. (2023). Regulation of reactive oxygen species during salt stress in plants and their crosstalk with other signaling molecules—Current perspectives and future directions. Plants, 12(4), 864.

Keshavarz, H., & Khodabin, G. (2019). The role of uniconazole in improving physiological and biochemical attributes of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) subjected to drought stress. Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology, 22, 161-168.

Khalvandi, M., Amerian, M., Pirdashti, H., Keramati, S., & Hosseini, J. (2019). Essential oil of peppermint in symbiotic relationship with Piriformospora indica and methyl jasmonate application under saline condition. Industrial Crops and Products, 127, 195-202.

Khoshkharam, M., Shahrajabian, M. H., & Esfandiary, M. (2021). The effects of methanol and amino acid glycine betaine on qualitative characteristics and yield of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) cultivars. Notulae Scientia Biologicae, 13(2), 10949-10949.

Komarova, T. V., Sheshukova, E. V., & Dorokhov, Y. L. (2014). Cell wall methanol as a signal in plant immunity. Frontiers in Plant Science, 5, 101.

Kovaleski, A. P., & Grossman, J. J. (2021). Standardization of electrolyte leakage data and a novel liquid nitrogen control improve measurements of cold hardiness in woody tissue. Plant Methods, 17(1), 53.

Lee, J. H., Kasote, D. M., Jayaprakasha, G. K., Avila, C. A., Crosby, K. M., & Patil, B. S. (2021). Effect of production system and inhibitory potential of aroma volatiles on polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activity in tomatoes. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 101(1), 307-314.

Mohammadi Alagoz, S., Hadi, H., Toorchi, M., Pawłowski, T. A., Asgari Lajayer, B., Price, G. W., & Astatkie, T. (2023). Morpho-physiological responses and growth indices of triticale to drought and salt stresses. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 8896.

Nakano, Y., & Asada, K. (1981). Hydrogen peroxide is scavenged by ascorbate-specific peroxidase in spinach chloroplasts. Plant and cell physiology, 22(5), 867-880.

Patanè, C., Cosentino, S. L., Romano, D., & Toscano, S. (2022). Relative water content, proline, and antioxidant enzymes in leaves of long shelf-life tomatoes under drought stress and rewatering. Plants, 11(22), 3045.

Rabiei, Z., Hosseini, S. J., Pirdashti, H., & Hazrati, S. (2020). Physiological and biochemical traits in coriander affected by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria under salt stress. Heliyon, 6(10).

Shahid, S., Shahbaz, M., Maqsood, M. F., Farhat, F., Zulfiqar, U., Javed, T., & Alamri, A. S. (2022). Proline-induced modifications in morpho-physiological, biochemical and yield attributes of pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivars under salt stress. Sustainability, 14(20), 13579.

Shi, Q., Bao, Z., Zhu, Z., Ying, Q., & Qian, Q. (2006). Effects of different treatments of salicylic acid on heat tolerance, chlorophyll fluorescence, and antioxidant enzyme activity in seedlings of Cucumis sativa L. Plant growth regulation, 48, 127-135.

Singh, A. (2022). Soil salinity: A global threat to sustainable development. Soil Use and Management, 38(1), 39-67.

Singh, P., Kumar, V., Sharma, J., Saini, S., Sharma, P., Kumar, S., & Sharma, A. (2022). Silicon supplementation alleviates the salinity stress in wheat plants by enhancing the plant water status, photosynthetic pigments, proline content and antioxidant enzyme activities. Plants, 11(19), 2525.

Taghvimi, P., Golfazani, M. M., Taghvaei, M. M., & Lahiji, H. S. (2024). Investigating the effect of drought stress and methanol spraying on the influential genes in the Calvin cycle and photorespiration of rapeseed (Brassica napus). Functional Plant Biology, 51(3).

Tavassoli, A., & Galavi, M. (2011). Effect of foliar application of methanol on efficiency, production and yield of plants-a review. Indian Journal of Agricultural Research, 45(1), 1-10.

Wei, P., Chen, D., Jing, R., Zhao, C., & Yu, B. (2015). Ameliorative effects of foliar methanol spraying on salt injury to soybean seedlings differing in salt tolerance. Plant growth regulation, 75, 133-141.

Yan, S., Zhan, M., Liu, Z., & Zhang, X. (2024). Insight into the transcriptional regulation of key genes involved in proline metabolism in plants under osmotic stress. Biochimie.

Yilmaz, A., Yildirim, E., Yilmaz, H., Soydemir, H. E., Güler, E., Ciftci, V., & Yaman, M. (2023). Use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for boosting antioxidant enzyme metabolism and mitigating saline stress in Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). Sustainability, 15(7), 5982.

Zhang, S. Z., Hua, B. Z., & Zhang, F. (2008). Induction of the activities of antioxidative enzymes and the levels of malondialdehyde in cucumber seedlings as a consequence of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) infestation. Arthropod-Plant Interactions, 2, 209-213.