Physiological and Biochemical Changes in Two Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) cultivars triggered by Drought stress
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Drought stress is one of the primary environmental factors influencing sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L.) productivity by disrobing physiological and metabolic homeostasis. By comparing the physiological and biochemical reactions of two sunflower cultivars, GangaKaveri and KBSH 42, under water deficiency regimes, the current study sought to assess the potential for drought resistance. The following important parameters were evaluated: relative water content (RWC), cell membrane integrity, total chlorophyll content, free proline content, lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), and antioxidative superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX) and catalase (CAT) activities. In comparison to KBSH 42, the drought-tolerant cultivar GangaKaveri showed noticeably better RWC, membrane stability and chlorophyll content under drought stress. Additionally, GangaKaveri showed increased SOD, POX and CAT activities as well as higher proline accumulation, suggesting an effective antioxidative defence system. On the other hand, KBSH 42 showed increased amounts of H 2 O 2 and lipid peroxidation indicating a poorer tolerance and more oxidative damage. These findings show that GangaKaveri’s higher drought tolerance is linked to its capacity to preserve membrane integrity, preserve water balance and activate antioxidant defence pathways more successfully than the susceptible KBSH 42. These insights maybe useful for the improvement of abiotic stress tolerance through physiological marker traits and ROS regulation by means of antioxidants.
