Impact of exogenous nicotine on the morphological, physio-biochemical, and anatomical characteristics in Capsicum annuum.
Rami AlkhatibBatool AlkhatibNour M AbdoPublished in: International journal of phytoremediation (2021)
Nicotine is an alkaloid which only highly exists in tobacco plants. It accounts for 95% of its total alkaloid content. Nicotine is synthesized in the roots and transported via the xylem to the shoot. This study aimed to investigate the morphological, physio-biochemical, structural, and ultrastructural impacts of different nicotine concentrations in bell pepper. Capsicum annuum seedlings were grown hydroponically in a growth chamber with different nicotine concentrations (0, 100, 400, 700, 1,000, 3,000, and 5,000 µM). Nicotine-treated leaves (3,000 and 5,000 µM) exhibited severe chlorosis and necrosis. Moreover, nicotine-treated seedlings (1,000, 3,000, and 5,000 µM) exhibited severe reduction in leaf area (p < 0.0001) and photosynthetic efficiency (p < 0.0001), which significantly reduce the photosynthetic rate (p < 0.0001). Also, the drop in the photosynthetic rate was associated with significant drop in stomatal conductance (p < 0.0001). The electron transmission micrographs revealed that nicotine-treated seedlings (3,000 and 5,000 µM) exhibited deformed chloroplasts with numerous plastoglobules reducing the photosynthetic rates.