Page 44 - Book of Abstracts

5 International Scientific Online Conference DOI: https://doi.org/10.15414/2021.9788055224015

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CALCIUM SILICATE AND γ-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID REDUCE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF
SIMULATED ACID RAIN ON CORN AND WHEAT
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Natalia Didyk , Bogdana Ivanytska , Tetiana Lysenko
1
2
1 M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine;
Kyiv, Ukraine; E-mail.: nataliya_didyk@ukr.net
2 Educational and Scientific Center "Institute of Biology and Medicine", Taras Shevchenko National
University of Kyiv, Ukraine

One of the dangerous consequences of anthropogenic emissions of sulfur and nitrogen
compounds into the atmosphere is an increase in precipitation acidity. The greatest damage
acid precipitations cause to vegetation. The yield of most crops is declining worldwide. Acid
precipitations intervene with the main physiological processes such as photosynthesis,
respiration, nutrition, and water balance. Inhibition of photosynthesis and nutrition hampers
plant growth and resistance to other stress factors. Traditional farming technologies are not
able to compensate for the losses of agriculture from abiotic stresses. Therefore, recently, much
attention of researchers is focused on the development of new, environmentally sound anti-
stress technologies for crop production. In this regard, the most promising are natural
substances with high adaptogenic potential such as biologically active silicon and
allelochemicals.
The effect of CaSiO3, γ-aminobutyric acid and their mixtures on the adaptation of test-
plants of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Smuglyanka) and corn (Zea mais L. cv. Kadr 267 MB)
to simulated acid rain was studied in the model pot experiments. The acid precipitations were
imitated by double watering with distilled water acidified with sulfuric acid to pH = 2: the day
and 3 days after sowing the seeds. Test plants were grown in a phytochamber under controlled
conditions of light, temperature, and soil moisture for three weeks. At the end of the
experiments, morphometric growth parameters (shoot height, root length, leaf area, dry
weights of shoots and roots), the content of photosynthetic pigments, flavonoids, and proline in
leaves were determined. For maize, the content of anthocyanins in shoots and roots was also
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evaluated. Characteristics of soil pH, electrical conductivity, redox potential, contents of NO3
and HCO3 were also measured.
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Тhe test-plants exposed to simulated acid rain had stunted growth, reduced content of
photosynthetic pigments in leaves as compared to plants grown in the control treatment
(without acid rain simulation). While the content of metabolites, known to be stress markers
(i.e. proline, flavonoids, anthocyanins) increased. Application of all studied amendments to soil
completely compensated the negative influence of the simulated acid rain on the studied
physiological processes in wheat and corn test plants. The mixture of calcium silicate and γ-
aminobutyric acid was the most effective. Test plants treated with this mixture prior to simulated
acid rain displayed better growth and biomass accumulation as compared to test plants in the
control treatment (without simulated acid rain).
In addition, the application of the studied amendments to the soil contributed to the
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increase of electrical conductivity and content of NO3 and HCO3 anions. This restoration of
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HCO3 to the control level (without simulated acid rain) after application of a mixture of CaSiO3
and γ-aminobutyric acid indicated normalization of the carbonate-calcium soil buffering
system.
Thus, a mixture of CaSiO3 and γ-aminobutyric acid is promising for the elaboration of
innovative environmentally safe technologies to protect crops against acid precipitations.
Keywords: Triticum aestivum, Zea mais, calcium silicate, γ-aminobutyric acid, acid precipitations, abiotic
stress, adaptive reactions.

5 International Scientific Conference Agrobiodiversity for Improving the Nutrition, Health, Quality of Life and |43
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Spiritual Human Development
November 3 2021
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