Abstract
Drought stress is one of the most severe abiotic constraints limiting wheat productivity worldwide, particularly during early developmental stages that determine crop establishment and yield potential. Sustainable, biologically based strategies that enhance drought tolerance without environmental cost are therefore urgently needed. In this study, we evaluated the individual and combined effects of chitosan (Cs), microalgae (Ma) (Nostoc linckia, MACC-612), and a chitosan–microalgae nanoparticle formulation (Cs-Ma) on germination performance, early seedling growth, and molecular stress responses in two wheat (Mehregan and MV Nádor) cultivars with contrasting drought sensitivity under polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced osmotic stress (−2 and −4 MPa). Drought stress significantly reduced germination percentage, germination rate, and radicle and coleoptile development in both cultivars, especially at −4 MPa. Application of Cs and microalgae individually partially alleviated these negative effects; however, the combined Cs-Ma treatment consistently produced the strongest improvements in seedling vigor and biomass accumulation under both moderate and severe drought stress. Evaluation of drought tolerance using tolerance index (TOL), stress tolerance index (STI), and stress intensity (SI) demonstrated that Cs-Ma markedly increased STI and reduced SI across most germination traits, indicating enhanced drought tolerance and lower stress sensitivity, particularly in MV Nádor. These physiological responses were supported by transcriptional reprogramming in radicle tissues, including upregulation of genes involved in polyamine biosynthesis (TaSPDS, TaSAMDC), phenylpropanoid metabolism (TaPAL), and protein protection (TaHSP70), along with moderated induction of polyamine catabolism (TaPXPAO). Overall, the results reveal a synergistic interaction between chitosan nanoparticles and microalgae biomass, highlighting Cs-Ma as an effective, eco-friendly biostimulant for improving early-stage drought tolerance in wheat.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
PEG-induced drought significantly reduced wheat germination percentage and rate, and radicle and coleoptile development, especially at −4 MPa.
- Taxon
- Wheat
Triticum aestivumt0 - Treatment
- Drought stresse0
- Outcome
- germination percentage, germination rate, and radicle and coleoptile developmente0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- especially at −4 MPae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Drought stress significantly reduced germination percentage, germination rate, and radicle and coleoptile development in both cultivars, especially at −4 MPa.”
t0“Wheat Seedlings”
Claim · model-written summary
Chitosan alone partially alleviated drought effects in wheat seedlings.
- Taxon
- WheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Cse0
- Outcome
- negative effectse0
- Direction
- partially alleviatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Application of Cs and microalgae individually partially alleviated these negative effects”
t0“Wheat Seedlings”
Claim · model-written summary
Microalgae alone partially alleviated drought effects in wheat seedlings.
- Taxon
- WheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- microalgaee0
- Outcome
- negative effectse0
- Direction
- partially alleviatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Application of Cs and microalgae individually partially alleviated these negative effects”
t0“Wheat Seedlings”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined Cs-Ma treatment gave the strongest improvements in seedling vigor and biomass under moderate and severe drought.
- Treatment
- combined Cs-Ma treatmente0
- Outcome
- seedling vigor and biomass accumulatione0
- Direction
- strongest improvementse0
- Qualifier
- under both moderate and severe drought stresse0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“the combined Cs-Ma treatment consistently produced the strongest improvements in seedling vigor and biomass accumulation under both moderate and severe drought stress.”
Claim · model-written summary
Cs-Ma increased stress tolerance index across most germination traits, particularly in MV Nádor.
- Material
- MV Nádore0
- Treatment
- Cs-Mae0
- Outcome
- STIe0
- Direction
- markedly increasede0
- Qualifier
- across most germination traitse0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“Cs-Ma markedly increased STI and reduced SI across most germination traits, indicating enhanced drought tolerance and lower stress sensitivity, particularly in MV Nádor.”
Claim · model-written summary
Cs-Ma reduced stress intensity across most wheat germination traits.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“Cs-Ma markedly increased STI and reduced SI across most germination traits”
Claim · model-written summary
Cs-Ma treatment upregulated TaSPDS and TaSAMDC in wheat radicles.
- Gene
- TaSPDS, TaSAMDCe0
- Outcome
- upregulation of genes involved in polyamine biosynthesise0
- Direction
- upregulatione0
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“upregulation of genes involved in polyamine biosynthesis (TaSPDS, TaSAMDC), phenylpropanoid metabolism (TaPAL), and protein protection (TaHSP70), along with moderated induction of polyamine catabolism (TaPXPAO).”
Claim · model-written summary
Cs-Ma treatment upregulated TaPAL and TaHSP70 in wheat radicles.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“phenylpropanoid metabolism (TaPAL), and protein protection (TaHSP70)”
Claim · model-written summary
Cs-Ma moderated TaPXPAO induction in wheat radicles.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“moderated induction of polyamine catabolism (TaPXPAO)”
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