Marwa Rezgui1,#,*, Wided Ben Ammar1, Muhammad Nazim2,3,#, Walid Soufan4, Chiraz Chaffei Haouari1
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.94, No.1, pp. 137-155, 2025, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.058851
- 24 January 2025
Abstract Nickel (Ni) toxicity significantly impairs plant growth, photosynthesis, and metabolism by inducing oxidative stress. This study evaluates the potential of exogenous Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AKG) in mitigating Ni-induced stress in Peganum harmala L. Seedlings were exposed to 0, 200, 500, and 750 μM NiCl2, with or without AKG supplementation. Under 750 μM Ni stress, dry weight (DW) decreased by 33.7%, tissue water content (TWC) by 39.9%, and chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll levels were reduced by 17% and 15%, respectively. Ni exposure also significantly increased secondary metabolite production, with leaf anthocyanin content rising by 131%, and superoxide dismutase (SOD)… More >