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Study assessed physiological and biochemical responses to EMS in dragon fruit under water stress, indicating treatment potential for resilience.
An experiment was undertaken to assess the physiological and biochemical responses of dragon fruit seedlings to ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) under varying intensities of water deficit stress. Seeds were treated with EMS at concentrations of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0% (v/v), and uniform six-month-old seedlings derived from these treatments were subjected to moisture stress regimes representing mild, moderate, and severe stress. EMS exerted a concentration-dependent effect on phenotypic attributes of dragon fruit. Low EMS dose (0.1–0.2%) sustained higher biomass, plant growth, and drought tolerance, whereas higher EMS levels (0.5–1.0%) proved detrimental, causing pronounced growth suppression. Low EMS dose facilitated the maintenance of higher relative water content and chlorophyll levels during stress, while reducing electrolyte leakage and better preserving membrane stability index, and cell stability index. Accumulation of proline and phenols was significantly enhanced at low EMS dose. EMS, accompanied by reduced MDA, indicating lower lipid peroxidation. Antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase, were markedly enhanced under water stress at low EMS dose. Path analysis revealed that chlorophyll stability index, electrolyte leakage, and relative water content were the most influential predictors of biomass under water stress. The findings provide valuable insights into the response of EMS-treated dragon fruit plants under varying levels of water stress.
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Shukla et al. (2026) studied this question.
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