Cytokinin and gibberellic acid-mediated waterlogging tolerance of mungbean (<i>Vigna radiata</i> L. Wilczek)
MR Islam, Md. Mezanur Rahman, Mohammed Mohi-Ud-Din, Munny Akter, Erin Zaman, Sanjida Sultana Keya, Mehfuz Hasan, Mirza Hasanuzzaman
Abstract
Background Mungbean ( Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) is one of the most important pulse crops, well-known for its protein-rich seeds. Growth and productivity are severely undermined by waterlogging. Methods In this study, we aim to evaluate how two promising phytohormones, namely cytokinin (CK) and gibberellic acid (GA 3 ), can improve waterlogging tolerance in mungbean by investigating key morphological, physiological, biochemical, and yield-related attributes. Results Our results showed that foliar application of CK and GA 3 under 5-day of waterlogged conditions improved mungbean growth and biomass, which was associated with increased levels of photosynthetic rate and pigments. Waterlogged-induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species and the consequently elevated levels of malondialdehyde were considerably reduced by CK and GA 3 treatments. Mungbean plants sprayed with either CK or GA 3 suffered less oxidative stress due to the enhancement of total phenolics and flavonoids levels. Improvement in the contents of proline and total soluble sugars indicated a better osmotic adjustment following CK and GA 3 treatments in waterlogged‐exposed plants. Most fundamentally, CK or GA 3 -sprayed waterlogged-stressed mungbean plants demonstrated better performance in the aforementioned parameters after the 15-day recovery period as compared to water-sprayed waterlogged-exposed plants. Our results also revealed that CK and GA 3 treatments increased yield-associated features in the waterlogged-stressed plant. Here, both phytohormones are efficient in improving mungbean resistance to waterlogging. However, CK was found to be more effective. Overall, our findings suggested that CK or GA 3 could be used for managing waterlogging-induced damage to mungbean and perhaps in other cash crops.