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Riboflavin-primed seeds reduce arsenic stress in Helianthus annuus L. by modulating antioxidant and metabolomics responses

agricultural-science
biochemistry
plant-science
anatomy-and-physiology
ecotoxicology

Abstract

Heavy metals induced stress disrupts plant growth and development, making their survival difficult. Arsenic (As) stress is one of the major constraints that has become an obstacle in the successful cultivation of many oilseed plants, especially sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). The current study aimed to estimate the capability of riboflavin (Rib) in mitigating As stress in H. annuus. H. annuus seeds were primed with Rib (50 ppm) and grown in soil contaminated with As at 10 ppm per kilogram. Results demonstrated that As-stress negatively affected plant growth by increasing malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrolyte leakage. Stressed plants exhibited lower antioxidant production, reduced biomass production, impaired gaseous exchange, and decreased photosynthesis. Whereas, Rib seed priming alleviated As toxicity in by ameliorating membrane stability (26.8%), gas exchange, and enzymatic antioxidant activity (CAT, POD, APX) in treated plants. Moreover, Rib reduced the MDA levels and promoted chlorophyll contents. The GC/MS-based non-targeted metabolic profiling indicated that the seed priming with Rib could cause metabolite shifts in sugars, amino acids, alcohols, carboxylic acids, and organic acids to augment the survival of H. annuus against metal stress. Our study demonstrates that seed priming with Rib can improve plant growth under metal stress in conventional agricultural systems.
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