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<p>Drought stress represents a major constraint to agricultural productivity, severely impairing plant growth, physiological functions, and biochemical stability. Sesame (<i>Sesamum indicum</i> L.), despite its moderate drought tolerance, suffers significant yield and quality losses under prolonged water deficits. Therefore, this study evaluates the potential of foliar application of <i>Ulva lactuca</i> and <i>Sargassum subrepandum</i> aqueous extracts as natural biostimulants to enhance drought resilience in sesame plants.&#xa0;Sesame plants were grown under controlled greenhouse conditions and subjected to drought stress with or without foliar applications of 2% aqueous extracts of <i>U. lactuca</i> and <i>S. subrepandum</i>. Growth, physiological, biochemical, and molecular parameters were evaluated using a completely randomized design with three replicates per treatment.&#xa0;The results demonstrated that drought stress caused significant reductions in shoot and root biomass, leaf area, relative water content (RWC), photosynthetic traits, and seed oil quality, while markedly increasing oxidative stress markers such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and electrolyte leakage (EL). However, seaweed treatments—particularly with <i>U. lactuca</i>—significantly mitigated these adverse effects. Treated plants exhibited higher shoot and root fresh and dry weights, greater RWC, improved chlorophyll content, and enhanced photosynthetic efficiency compared to drought-stressed controls. Moreover, antioxidant activity was up-regulated, reflected by increased ascorbate and reduced glutathione levels and decreased MDA and EL, indicating improved membrane stability. In terms of yield quality, seaweed applications partially restored total fatty acid (TFA) content and improved the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), essential for nutritional quality.&#xa0;The beneficial effects are attributed to the bioactive compounds present in the seaweed extracts, including phytohormones, osmoprotectants, polysaccharides, and antioxidants, which enhanced osmotic adjustment, photosynthetic performance, and ROS detoxification. This comprehensive study thus highlights the promising role of seaweed-based biostimulants as sustainable and eco-friendly tools for improving drought tolerance, productivity, and seed yield quality in sesame under water-limited conditions.</p>

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Foliar Application of Seaweed-based Biostimulants Enhances Drought Resilience, Physiological Performance, and Seed Oil Quality in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月23日

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  • Aisha A.M. Alayafi

摘要

Drought stress represents a major constraint to agricultural productivity, severely impairing plant growth, physiological functions, and biochemical stability. Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), despite its moderate drought tolerance, suffers significant yield and quality losses under prolonged water deficits. Therefore, this study evaluates the potential of foliar application of Ulva lactuca and Sargassum subrepandum aqueous extracts as natural biostimulants to enhance drought resilience in sesame plants. Sesame plants were grown under controlled greenhouse conditions and subjected to drought stress with or without foliar applications of 2% aqueous extracts of U. lactuca and S. subrepandum. Growth, physiological, biochemical, and molecular parameters were evaluated using a completely randomized design with three replicates per treatment. The results demonstrated that drought stress caused significant reductions in shoot and root biomass, leaf area, relative water content (RWC), photosynthetic traits, and seed oil quality, while markedly increasing oxidative stress markers such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and electrolyte leakage (EL). However, seaweed treatments—particularly with U. lactuca—significantly mitigated these adverse effects. Treated plants exhibited higher shoot and root fresh and dry weights, greater RWC, improved chlorophyll content, and enhanced photosynthetic efficiency compared to drought-stressed controls. Moreover, antioxidant activity was up-regulated, reflected by increased ascorbate and reduced glutathione levels and decreased MDA and EL, indicating improved membrane stability. In terms of yield quality, seaweed applications partially restored total fatty acid (TFA) content and improved the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), essential for nutritional quality. The beneficial effects are attributed to the bioactive compounds present in the seaweed extracts, including phytohormones, osmoprotectants, polysaccharides, and antioxidants, which enhanced osmotic adjustment, photosynthetic performance, and ROS detoxification. This comprehensive study thus highlights the promising role of seaweed-based biostimulants as sustainable and eco-friendly tools for improving drought tolerance, productivity, and seed yield quality in sesame under water-limited conditions.