ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Endogenous Minerals Conditioned Genotypic
Variation of Phytochemicals in Broccoli Leaves
under Salinity Stress
More details
Hide details
1
Dry Land Farming and Oasis Cropping Laboratory, Institute of Arid Regions of Medenine, University of Gabes,
Medenine 4119, Tunisia
Submission date: 2020-06-06
Final revision date: 2020-08-15
Acceptance date: 2020-08-18
Online publication date: 2021-01-28
Publication date: 2021-03-08
Corresponding author
Chokri Zaghdoud
Dry Land Farming and Oasis Cropping Laboratory, Institute of Arid Regions of Medenine, University of Gabes, Medenine 4119, Tunisia, Tunisia
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2021;30(3):2381-2394
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Here, changes in the leaf mineral composition of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck)
plants in response to single and interactive two-week salt (0, 30, 60 and 90 mM NaCl) exposure and
cultivar (cvs. Parthenon and Naxos) factors were studied, as well as their correlations with individual
glucosinolates (GSLs), vitamin C and total anthocyanins. Results showed significant differences
in micro- (Fe2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Mn2+ and B3+) and macroelements (S, N, C, NH4+) contents regarding
the studied factors and/or their interaction. Salinity effects on individual GSLs showed contradictor
behaviours between both cultivars, being the increase in aliphatics in Parthenon negatively correlated
with Mn2+ ions, while the decrease in indolics in Naxos related positively with N and N/S ratio and
negatively with NH4+ content (P<0.01). Interestingly, only in cv. Naxos all bioactive compounds
displayed a strong relationship with Zn2+ ions, majorly negative. Stress intensity-dependant reductions
in vitamin C and total anthocyanin levels in both cultivars were caused by differential endogenous
NH4+ ions accumulation, reflecting co-participation of these compounds in the leaf antioxidant capacity.
Overall, in salt-affected lands, a clear genotypic dependence of broccoli plants regarding endogenous
leaf minerals was recorded, influencing individual GSLs, vitamin C and total anthocyanin profiles.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.