Effect of Foliar Application of Hydrogen Peroxide Macroconcentrations on Growth Parameters, Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity in the Leaves and Seeds of <i>Amaranthus hypochondriacus</i> L.
Roberto Augusto Ferriz-Martínez,
Nayeli Espinosa-Villarreal,
Jorge Luis Chávez-Servín,
Adán Mercado-Luna,
Karina de la Torre-Carbot,
Juan Serrano-Arellano,
Carlos Saldaña,
Teresa García-Gasca
Affiliations
Roberto Augusto Ferriz-Martínez
Laboratorio de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Campus Juriquilla, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Av. de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Querétaro 76320, Mexico
Nayeli Espinosa-Villarreal
Laboratorio de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Campus Juriquilla, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Av. de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Querétaro 76320, Mexico
Jorge Luis Chávez-Servín
Laboratorio de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Campus Juriquilla, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Av. de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Querétaro 76320, Mexico
Adán Mercado-Luna
Departamento de Biosistemas, Facultad de Ingeniería, Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Materia Agrícola, Pecuaria, Acuícola y Forestal (CIDAF), Campus Amazcala, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Carretera a Chichimequillas S/N, Amazcala, El Marqués, Querétaro 76130, Mexico
Karina de la Torre-Carbot
Laboratorio de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Campus Juriquilla, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Av. de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Querétaro 76320, Mexico
Juan Serrano-Arellano
División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Tecnológico Nacional de México/IT de Pachuca, Carretera México-Pachuca Km, 87.5, Colonia Venta Prieta, Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo 42080, Mexico
Carlos Saldaña
Laboratorio de Biofísica de Membranas y Nanotecnología, Unidad de Microbiología Básica y Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Campus Aeropuerto, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Anillo Vial Junípero Serra, Querétaro 76140, Mexico
Teresa García-Gasca
Laboratorio de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Campus Juriquilla, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Av. de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Querétaro 76320, Mexico
Amaranth has many interesting features, both nutritional and otherwise, that make it attractive as a food crop. Plants grown in greenhouses have higher yields but lower nutritional value compared to those grown in open fields. This prompted an interest in studying viable elicitors for the production of amaranth. Small hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations for foliar spraying from 0 to 18 mM have been used in greenhouse amaranth cultivation. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of foliar application of H2O2 megadoses on growth parameters, total phenolic compounds, condensed tannins, anthocyanins, and the antioxidant capacity of leaves and seeds of amaranth grown in a greenhouse setting. The seed of the Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. species was used. The concentrations of H2O2 analyzed were 0, 125, 250 and 400 mM, with 11 applications throughout the growing cycle. The variable data were subjected to an analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by a Tukey’s post hoc test (95% CI, p 2O2 treatment, including the increase in antioxidant capacity measured by FRAP. The seed showed a considerable increase in TFC with all treatments and responded better to the 250 mM H2O2 treatment in the case of DPPH (an increase of 30%) and TPC (an increase of 44%). A 28% increase in anthocyanin content was observed with the treatment of 400 mM H2O2. The use of H2O2 may be an appropriate strategy to enhance the production of antioxidant compounds in amaranth without affecting growth or its basic proximal chemical composition. More studies are required in this regard.
