Effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on some morpho-physiological traits of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) under salt stress

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
Salinity stress is a major limiting factor for plant growth. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is known as an important signaling molecule in response to environmental stresses. This study investigated the effect of exogenous GABA application on the morphophysiological and biochemical characteristics of rosemary plants under saline conditions.
 
Materials and methods
A factorial experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The study investigated the effects of NaCl salinity (0, 50, 100, and 150 mM) and foliar-applied GABA (0, 20, 40, and 60 mM) on the morphophysiological traits of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) during the summer of 2014 at the research greenhouse of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan. Fifteen-to-twenty cm tall rosemary seedlings, sourced from Zarrin Gyaa Urmia Company, were cultivated in size 3 pots containing equal proportions of perlite, cocopeat, and washed soil. Prior to treatment application, plants were acclimatized for two weeks with Hoagland nutrient solution. Greenhouse environmental conditions were set to a 16 h light/8 h dark cycle, with day/night temperatures of 25/20 °C. Salinity was applied gradually over several stages. Salinity stress was imposed by adding NaCl to the irrigation water, and the pots were irrigated every three days. Foliar spray solutions were prepared by dissolving the required amount of GABA in distilled water. The first foliar spray was applied immediately after the initiation of salinity stress, the second two weeks later, and a third application was performed thereafter, for a total of three applications. Twenty ml of solution was applied to each pot (Vojodi Mehrabani et al., 2016). The entire experiment lasted for 14 weeks. The dry weight of the aerial parts was measured after determining the fresh weight using a digital scale and the stem length with a ruler. Leaf proline content, leaf area, and leaf relative water content were measured. Data were analyzed using SAS software, and graphs were generated using Microsoft Excel. Duncan’s multiple range test was used to compare means at the 5% probability level.
 
Results and discussion
Mean comparison results for shoot fresh weight (Table 2) indicated that the interaction between salinity and GABA was significant at the 1% level. The highest shoot fresh weight (25.130 g) was recorded under non‑saline conditions with the application of 40 mM GABA. The lowest shoot dry weight (4.941 g) was related to the independent effect of 150 mM salinity treatment, whereas the highest shoot dry weight (7.745 g) was observed in the salinity control treatment with 20 mM GABA. The interaction effect of salinity stress and GABA treatment on stem length was significant at the 1% level. The highest stem length (25.934 cm) was recorded under non‑saline (control) with 60 mM GABA. The interaction effect of salinity and GABA on rosemary leaf area was significant at the 1% level. The highest leaf area (4.5657 cm²) was observed under non‑saline (control) conditions with 60 mM GABA. In contrast, the lowest leaf area (2.1772 cm²) was recorded in the absence of GABA under 150 mM salinity. The interaction effect of salinity stress and GABA on electrolyte leakage percentage was statistically significant at the 1% level. The highest electrolyte leakage (98.031%) was observed at 150 mM salinity with 60 mM GABA, whereas the lowest value (67.231%) was recorded under non‑saline (control) conditions with 60 mM GABA. The main effect of salinity and GABA on leaf proline content was significant at the 1% level. Under salinity treatments, the highest proline content (0.0352 μmol g⁻¹ leaf fresh weight) was observed at 100 mM salinity, whereas the lowest value (0.0142 μmol g⁻¹ leaf fresh weight) was recorded in the control treatment. Similarly, among the GABA treatments, the highest proline content (0.0218 μmol g⁻¹ leaf fresh weight) was recorded at 60 mM GABA
 
Conclusion
The present study demonstrated that salinity stress significantly affects the growth and physiological characteristics of the medicinal plant rosemary, resulting in reduced growth‑related traits and increased stress‑related indicators, such as electrolyte leakage and proline content. The application of GABA as a regulatory compound partially mitigated the detrimental effects of salinity. These results suggest that foliar application of GABA may represent an effective strategy to enhance rosemary tolerance to saline conditions and improve the performance of medicinal plants under environmental stresses.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

 
Aljuaid, B.S., Ashour, H., 2022. Exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) application mitigates salinity stress in maize plants. Life. 12, 1860. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12111860
Bates, L., Waldren, R.P., Teare, I.D., 1973. Rapid determination of free proline for water-stress studies. Plant and Soil. 39, 205-207. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00018060
Ben-Gal, A., Shani, U., 2002. Yield, transpiration and growth of tomatoes under combined excess boron and salinity stress. Plant and Soil. 247, 211-221. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021571714307
Bijeh Keshavarzi, M.H., Mousavi Nick, M., Zain Al-Abedin, M., 2011. Effect of salt (NaCl) stress on germination and early seedling growth of Lactuca sativa L. 1st National Conference on New Concepts in Agriculture, Islamic Azad University of Saveh. pp. 1-5. [In Persian]
Demiral, T., Türkan, I., 2005. Comparative lipid peroxidation, antioxidant defense systems and proline content in roots of two rice cultivars differing in salt tolerance. Environmental and Experimental Botany. 53, 247-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2004.03.017
Doulati Baneh, H., 2016. Salinity effects on plant tissue nutritional status as well as growth and physiological factors in some cultivars and interspecies hybrids of grape. Iranian Journal of Horticultural Science. 47, 33-44. [In Persian with English Summary]
Dong, Z., Huang, J., Qi, T., Meng, A., Fu, Q., Fu, Y., Xu, F., 2024. Exogenous γ-Aminobutyric Acid Can Improve Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Two Cotton Cultivars under Salt Stress. Plants. 13, 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010082
El-Khawaga, A., Zaeneldeen, S.E.M., Youssef, M.A., 2013. Comparative responses of three pomegranates (Punica granatum L.) varieties to salinity. p. 454-469. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on New Horizons in Basic and Applied Science. Hurghada, Egypt, Vol 1(1), 2013.
Fait, A., Fromm, H., Walter, D., Galili, G., Fernie, A., 2008. Highway or byway: The metabolic role of the GABA shunt in plants. Trends in Plant Science. 13, 9-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2007.10.005
Franco, J.A., Bañón, S., Vicente, M.J., Miralles, J., Martínez-Sánchez, J.J., 2011. Root development in horticultural plants grown under abiotic stress conditions: A review. Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology. 86, 543-556. https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2011.11512805
Hendawy, S.F., Khalid, K.A., 2005. Response of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) plants to salt stress under different levels of phosphorus fertilization. Industrial Crops and Products. 21, 273-277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2004.04.018
Ings, J., Mur, L.A., Robson, P.R., Bosch, M., 2013. Physiological and growth responses to water deficit in the bioenergy crop Miscanthus × giganteus. Frontiers in Plant Science. 4, 468. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2013.00468
Jordán, M.J., Lax, V., Rota, M.C., Lorán, S., Sotomayor, J.A., 2011. Effect of phenological stage and season on the essential oil composition of Rosmarinus officinalis L. grown in Murcia (Spain). Food Chemistry. 130, 472-478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.07.049
Khan, N.U., Ali, F., 2020. Priming with γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) alleviates the detrimental effects of osmotic stress and salinity on rice seed germination and seedling growth by modulating antioxidant defense system and secondary metabolism. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 20(22), 5709. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20225709
Khan, M.A., 2001. Experimental assessment of salinity tolerance of Ceriops tagal seedlings and saplings from the Indus delta, Pakistan. Aquatic Botany. 70, 259-268. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3770(01)00161-1
Khan, M.A., Duke, N.C., 1998. Halophytes: A resource for the future. Wetlands Ecology and Management. 6, 455-456. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008497221412
Kiani-Pouya, A., Roessner, U., Nirupama, S., Rupasinghe, T., Bazihizina, N., 2017. Epidermal bladder cells confer salinity stress tolerance in the halophyte quinoa and Atriplex species. Plant, Cell and Environment. 40, 1900-1915. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.12946
Koppitz, H., Dewender, M., Ostendorp, W., Schmieder, K., 2004. Amino acids as indicators of physiological stress in common reed Phragmites australis affected by an extra flood. Aquatic Botany. 79, 277-294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2004.05.003
Lemos, M.F., Pacheco, H.P., Endringer, D.C., Scherer, R., 2015. Seasonality modifies rosemary's composition and biological activity. Industrial Crops and Products. 70, 41-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2015.03.008
Li, X., Li, X., Zhang, L., Zhang, Z., Zhang, J., Hu, J., Ma, T., 2018. Exogenous GABA mitigates salt stress by reducing oxidative damage and enhancing proline accumulation in soybean seedlings. Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants. 24, 947-959. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-018-0578-2
Li, Z., Yu, J., Peng, Y., Huang, B., 2016. Physiological effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid application on improving heat and salt tolerance in perennial ryegrass. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. 141, 385-392. https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS.141.5.385
Liu, C., Zhao, X., Yan, J., Yuan, Z., Gu, M., 2013. Effects of exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid on the growth and physiological characteristics of wheat seedlings under salt stress. Acta Ecologica Sinica. 33, 2270-2277. https://doi.org/10.5846/stxb201204030468
Ma, X., Zhang, J., Huang, B., Guo, J., 2020. GABA application improves plant tolerance to salt stress by enhancing nitrogen metabolism and antioxidant defense. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 151, 680-689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.04.029
Moradi, F., 2002. Physiological characterization of rice cultivars for salinity tolerance during vegetative and reproductive stages. Ph.D. Thesis. University of the Philippines at Los Baños, Los Baños, Laguna. 190 p.
Munns, R., Tester, M., 2008. Mechanisms of salinity tolerance. Annual Review of Plant Biology. 59, 651-681. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.arplant.59.032607.092911
Rezzouk, F., Shahid, M., Elouafi, I., Zhou, B., Araus, B., Serret, M., 2020. Agronomic performance of irrigated quinoa in desert areas: Comparing different approaches for early assessment of salinity stress. Agricultural Water Management. 240, 106273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106273
Saeed, M., Rehman, S., Khan, M.A., Sadiq, M.B., Muhammad, N., 2021. Effect of GABA on growth and physiological responses of thyme under salt stress. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research. 15, 241-250. https://doi.org/10.5897/JMPR2021.7142
Salehi Sardoei, A., Khalili, H., 2020. Phytochemistry of Medicinal Plants (Volume 1). Nowruzi Press. 374 p. [In Persian]
Selmar, D., Kleinwächter, M., 2013. Stress enhances the synthesis of secondary plant products: The impact of stress-related over-reduction on the accumulation of natural products. Plant and Cell Physiology. 54, 817-826. https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pct054
Shao, H.B., Chu, L.Y., Shao, M.A., Jaleel, C.A., Zhao, C.X., 2008. Water-deficit stress-induced anatomical changes in higher plants. Comptes Rendus Biologies. 331, 215-225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2007.02.004
Shetelwy, M.S., Abd El-Gawad, H.G., El-Sayed, A.I., 2023. Synergistic effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on salt tolerance in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) through modulation of oxidative defense and osmolyte accumulation. BMC Plant Biology. 23, 577. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-023-04312-w
Song, H., Xu, X., Hua, W., Wang, H., Tao, Y., 2010. Exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid alleviates oxidative damage caused by aluminium and proton stresses on barley seedlings. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 90, 1410-1416. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.3951
Sun, X., Zhu, C., Li, W., Dong, X., Wen, X., Zhang, F., 2018. Application of GABA alleviates drought stress in rice by increasing proline synthesis. Agronomy Journal. 110, 1295-1307. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2017.11.0662
Ullah, A., Tariq, A., Zeng, F., Noor, J., Sardans, J., Asghar, M.A., et al., 2023. Application of GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) to improve saline stress tolerance of chufa (Cyperus esculentus L. var. sativus Boeck) plants by regulating their antioxidant potential and nitrogen assimilation. South African Journal of Botany. 157, 540-552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2023.04.031
USSL Staff, 1954. Diagnosis and Improvement of Saline and Alkali Soils. USDA Handbook No. 60. Washington DC, USA.
Verbruggen, N., Hermans, C., 2008. Proline accumulation in plants: A review. Amino Acids. 35, 753-759. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-008-0061-6
Vojodi Mehrabani, L., Hassanpouraghdam, M.B., Ebrahimzadeh, A., Valizadeh Kamran, R., 2016. Effects of ZnSO₄ foliar application on vegetative growth and phenolic and essential oil content of geranium (Pelargonium odoratissimum L.). Journal of Ornamental Plants. 6, 193-199. [In Persian with English Summary]
Wang, X., Yu, Z., Zhang, L., Huang, R., 2019. Roles of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and GABA shunt in abiotic stress. Plant Growth Regulation. 87, 3-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-018-0444-6
Wang, X., Zhang, F., Zhang, Y., Li, T., Dong, J., Zhang, X., 2020. GABA alleviates salt-induced stress in maize by improving antioxidant defense and regulating ion homeostasis. Plant Science. 295, 110244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2019.110244
Wang, Y., Cao, H., Wang, S., Guo, J., Dou, H., Qiao, J., Yang, Q., Shao, R., Wang, H., 2023. Exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) improves salt-inhibited nitrogen metabolism and the anaplerotic reaction of the tricarboxylic acid cycle by regulating GABA-shunt metabolism in maize seedlings. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 254, 114756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114756
Wang, Y., Gu, W., Meng, Y., Xie, T., Li, L., Li, J., 2011. The role of gamma-aminobutyric acid in maize growth under salt stress. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 59, 120-128.
Yu, Z., Wang, X., Zhang, L., Huang, R., 2019. Roles of gamma-aminobutyric acid and GABA shunt in abiotic stress. Plant Growth Regulation. 87, 3-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-018-0444-6
Zhang, H., Zhao, F., Tang, R., Yu, Y., Zhang, Z., 2015. Exogenous GABA improves salt tolerance of rice seedlings by regulating ion homeostasis and stress defense responses. Environmental and Experimental Botany. 111, 144-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2014.11.014
Zhang, J., Ma, X., Huang, B., Guo, J., 2020. GABA application improves plant tolerance to salt stress by enhancing nitrogen metabolism and antioxidant defense. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 151, 680-689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.04.029
Zhao, Y., Wu, X., Tian, X., Wang, Y., Xing, G., Li, Z., 2019. GABA improves tomato plant growth by enhancing carbon and nitrogen metabolism under salt stress. Plant Growth Regulation. 87, 163-174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-018-0465-1
Environmental Stresses in Crop Sciences

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 15 June 2026

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 10 March 2025
  • Revise Date: 23 June 2025
  • Accept Date: 29 June 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics