Abstract

RODRIGUEZ-SALINAS, Pablo Alan et al. Iodine increases the concentration of phenolic compounds and photosynthetic pigments in three cultivars of Ficus carica L. subjected to salt stress. Rev. Mex. Cienc. Agríc [online]. 2022, vol.13, n.spe28, pp.309-318.  Epub Jan 13, 2023. ISSN 2007-0934.  https://doi.org/10.29312/remexca.v13i28.3285.

Iodine (I) is a non-essential element for plants; however, the application of the element has shown positive effects on plants grown in optimal conditions or under stress. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the impact of iodine on the concentration of phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity and photosynthetic pigments in leaves of three fig cultivars subjected to salt stress. Eight-month-old fig plants were established under a completely randomized experimental design with a 3x2x2 factorial arrangement: three fig cultivars (Ficus carica L.): Brown Turkey, Kadota and Black Mission; two levels of NaCl (0 and 100 mmol L-1) and two levels of iodine (0 and 10 mg L-1). The analyses of variance showed the impact of the main factors (cultivars, NaCl and I) and the interaction between them. The application of iodine on fig seedlings increased the concentration of chlorophyll a, regardless of the cultivar and the concentration of NaCl. The number of new leaves and their dry weight were affected by the interaction between NaCl and I, these variables increased with the presence of I in saline condition. The relative content of total phenols, total flavonoids, antioxidant capacity by DPPH and photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids) showed interaction between the cultivars, the levels of NaCl and the concentration of I, where the values of these variables were increased by the presence of I under salinity conditions. Due to the above, iodine could be considered as an alternative to mitigate the stress caused by NaCl in Ficus carica L. plants.

Keywords : chlorophylls; fig; salinity; total flavonoids; total phenols.