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. 2021 Nov 11;10(11):2434.
doi: 10.3390/plants10112434.

Effect of Elevated CO2 on Biomolecules' Accumulation in Caraway (Carum carvi L.) Plants at Different Developmental Stages

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Effect of Elevated CO2 on Biomolecules' Accumulation in Caraway (Carum carvi L.) Plants at Different Developmental Stages

Hamada AbdElgawad et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Caraway plants have been known as a rich source of phytochemicals, such as flavonoids, monoterpenoid glucosides and alkaloids. In this regard, the application of elevated CO2 (eCO2) as a bio-enhancer for increasing plant growth and phytochemical content has been the focus of many studies; however, the interaction between eCO2 and plants at different developmental stages has not been extensively explored. Thus, the present study aimed at investigating the changes in growth, photosynthesis and phytochemicals of caraway plants at two developmental stages (sprouts and mature tissues) under control and increased CO2 conditions (ambient CO2 (a CO2, 400 ± 27 μmol CO2 mol-1 air) and eCO2, 620 ± 42 μmol CO2 mol-1 air ppm). Moreover, we evaluated the impact of eCO2-induced changes in plant metabolites on the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of caraway sprouts and mature plants. CO2 enrichment increased photosynthesis and biomass accumulation of both caraway stages. Regarding their phytochemical contents, caraway plants interacted differently with eCO2, depending on their developmental stages. High levels of CO2 enhanced the production of total nutrients, i.e., carbohydrates, proteins, fats and crude fibers, as well as organic and amino acids, in an equal pattern in both caraway sprouts and mature plants. Interestingly, the eCO2-induced effect on minerals, vitamins and phenolics was more pronounced in caraway sprouts than the mature tissues. Furthermore, the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of caraway plants were enhanced under eCO2 treatment, particularly at the mature stage. Overall, eCO2 provoked changes in the phytochemical contents of caraway plants, particularly at the sprouting stage and, hence, improved their nutritive and health-promoting properties.

Keywords: antimicrobial activity; antioxidant; caraway plants; high CO2; mature plants; nutritious metabolites; sprouting.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Biomass; fresh weight (FW) (mg/g FW) and dry weight (DW) (mg/g FW), photosynthesis (μmol CO2 m−m s−s), and pigments content (chlorophyll a + b) (mg/g FW) of control and eCO2-treated caraway sprouts and mature plants. Data are represented by the means of at least 3 replicates ± standard deviations. Different small letter superscripts (a, b, c and d) within a row indicate significant differences between control and eCO2-samples. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed. Tukey’s test was used as the post-hoc test for the separation of means (p < 0.05).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Hierarchical clustering analysis of total nutrients, minerals, vitamins and essential oils of control and eCO2-treated caraway sprouts and mature plants. Data are represented by the means of at least 3 replicates.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hierarchical clustering analysis of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of control and eCO2-treated caraway sprouts and mature plants. Data are represented by the means of at least 3 replicates.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Principal component analysis (PCA) of chemical compositions and biological activities of caraway plants at two developmental stages (sprout and mature tissues) under control or eCO2 growth conditions.

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