Abstract
Drought is an abiotic disturbance that reduces photosynthesis, plant growth, and crop yield. Ascorbic acid (AsA) was utilized as a seed preconditioning agent to assist broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) in resisting drought. However, the precise mechanism by which AsA improves seedlings’ development remains unknown. One hypothesis is that AsA works via antioxidant mechanisms and reduces oxidative stress. This study aims to confirm the effect of varied concentrations of AsA (control, 0 ppm, 1 ppm, or 10 ppm) on seedling growth and changes in the antioxidant status of broccoli seedlings under regular watering or drought stress. AsA increased shoot dry mass, leaf area, net photosynthesis, and water use efficiency in watered and drought-stressed seedlings. AsA significantly (p < 0.001) increased carotenoid content in watered and drought-stressed seedlings by approximately 27% and 111%, respectively. Drought increased chlorophyll b, flavonoids, phenolics, ascorbate, and hydrogen peroxide production in control seedlings, but either had no effect or less effect on plants preconditioned with 10 ppm AsA. There was no improvement in reactive oxygen species scavenging in AsA-preconditioned seedlings compared to the control. The absence or reduction in biochemical indicators of stress suggests that preconditioned broccoli seedlings do not perceive stress the same as control seedlings. In conclusion, the consistent increase in carotenoid concentration suggests that carotenoids play some role in the preconditioning response, though the exact mechanism remains unknown.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Ascorbic acid increased broccoli shoot dry mass and leaf area under watering and drought.
- Taxon
- broccoli
Brassica oleracea var. italicae1 - Treatment
- AsAe0
- Outcome
- shoot dry mass, leaf areae0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- watered and drought-stressed seedlingse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“AsA increased shoot dry mass, leaf area, net photosynthesis, and water use efficiency in watered and drought-stressed seedlings.”
e1“broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)”
Claim · model-written summary
Ascorbic acid increased broccoli net photosynthesis and water use efficiency under watering and drought.
- Taxon
- broccoliBrassica oleracea var. italicae1
- Treatment
- AsAe0
- Outcome
- net photosynthesis, and water use efficiencye0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- watered and drought-stressed seedlingse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“AsA increased shoot dry mass, leaf area, net photosynthesis, and water use efficiency in watered and drought-stressed seedlings.”
e1“broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)”
Claim · model-written summary
Ascorbic acid increased carotenoid content by approximately 27% in watered broccoli seedlings.
- Taxon
- broccoliBrassica oleracea var. italicae1
- Treatment
- AsAe0
- Outcome
- carotenoid contente0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 27%e0
- Qualifier
- waterede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“AsA significantly (p < 0.001) increased carotenoid content in watered and drought-stressed seedlings by approximately 27% and 111%, respectively.”
e1“broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)”
Claim · model-written summary
Ascorbic acid increased carotenoid content by approximately 111% in drought-stressed broccoli seedlings.
- Taxon
- broccoliBrassica oleracea var. italicae1
- Treatment
- AsAe0
- Outcome
- carotenoid contente0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 111%e0
- Qualifier
- drought-stressede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“AsA significantly (p < 0.001) increased carotenoid content in watered and drought-stressed seedlings by approximately 27% and 111%, respectively.”
e1“broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)”
Claim · model-written summary
Drought increased chlorophyll b, flavonoids and phenolics in control broccoli seedlings.
- Taxon
- broccoliBrassica oleracea var. italicae1
- Treatment
- Droughte0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll b, flavonoids, phenolicse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- control seedlingse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Drought increased chlorophyll b, flavonoids, phenolics, ascorbate, and hydrogen peroxide production in control seedlings”
e1“broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)”
Claim · model-written summary
Drought increased ascorbate and hydrogen peroxide production in control broccoli seedlings.
- Taxon
- broccoliBrassica oleracea var. italicae1
- Treatment
- Droughte0
- Outcome
- ascorbate, and hydrogen peroxide productione0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- control seedlingse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Drought increased chlorophyll b, flavonoids, phenolics, ascorbate, and hydrogen peroxide production in control seedlings”
e1“broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)”
Claim · model-written summary
Drought had no or a smaller effect on these stress indicators after 10 ppm ascorbic acid preconditioning.
- Taxon
- broccoliBrassica oleracea var. italicae1
- Treatment
- 10 ppm AsAe0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll b, flavonoids, phenolics, ascorbate, and hydrogen peroxide productione0
- Direction
- no effect or less effecte0
- Comparator
- control seedlingse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Drought increased chlorophyll b, flavonoids, phenolics, ascorbate, and hydrogen peroxide production in control seedlings, but either had no effect or less effect on plants preconditioned with 10 ppm AsA.”
e1“broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)”
Claim · model-written summary
Ascorbic acid preconditioning did not improve reactive oxygen species scavenging relative to control broccoli seedlings.
- Taxon
- broccoliBrassica oleracea var. italicae1
- Treatment
- AsA-preconditionede0
- Outcome
- reactive oxygen species scavenginge0
- Direction
- no improvemente0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“There was no improvement in reactive oxygen species scavenging in AsA-preconditioned seedlings compared to the control.”
e1“broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors infer that preconditioned broccoli seedlings perceive stress differently from controls.
- Taxon
- broccoliBrassica oleracea var. italicae0
- Treatment
- preconditionede0
- Outcome
- perceive stresse0
- Comparator
- control seedlingse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“preconditioned broccoli seedlings do not perceive stress the same as control seedlings”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest carotenoids have a role in the broccoli preconditioning response, while the mechanism remains unknown.
- Taxon
- broccoli seedlingsBrassica oleracea var. italicae1
- Compound
- carotenoidse0
- Outcome
- preconditioning responsee0
- Qualifier
- exact mechanism remains unknowne0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“carotenoids play some role in the preconditioning response, though the exact mechanism remains unknown”
e1“preconditioned broccoli seedlings do not perceive stress the same as control seedlings”
The same questions in other papers
L-ascorbic acid · growth · Brassica oleracea (wild cabbage)Results agree
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L-ascorbic acid · physiology: pigments · Brassica oleracea (wild cabbage)Results agree
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drought · physiology: pigments · Brassica oleracea (wild cabbage)Results differ
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See all 7 papers →drought · physiology: oxidative · Brassica oleracea (wild cabbage)Positive and negative results
4 in the opposite direction
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See all 5 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.