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Impact of foliar applications of MeJA and MgO-NPs on secondary metabolites and essential oil of Rosa damascena Mill.

Mitra Zamani, Azra saboora , Mohammad Ebadi, Nassim Ghorbanmehr, Akbar Karami, Francesco Loreto

Abstract

In recent years, use of elicitors in agriculture has received attention due to their positive effect on plant secondary metabolite production. We investigated the effects of two elicitors, Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles (MgO-NPs) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on secondary metabolites improving physiology and defensive properties of leaves and flowers of Rosa damascena Mill. Different doses of the elicitors were tested, assessing their impacts for 14 days after the leaf treatment, and at three stages of flowering. Significant increases in the contents of re-active oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and in the activities of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants were found in leaves treated with the two elicitors. However, the effect was higher and widespread on all investigated parameters in plants treated with the lowest dose (0.1 mM) of MeJA. Low concentrations of MeJA also clearly stimulated synthesis of monoterpenoid alcohols and aromatic alcohols which are responsible for the per-fume of petals, and enhanced total and single phenolics, and total flavonoids of flowers. In contrast, petal anthocyanins were reduced following treatments with both elicitors. Exogenous applications of low concentration of MeJA appear as most promising to induce antioxidant responses in R. damascena, and to improve perfumes of the petals.

FP25025  Accepted 19 August 2025

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