Investigation of the effect of boron (B) pre-application on reduction of oxidative damage in tomato seedlings exposed to arsenic (As) stress

Unlike single and combined effect studies, priming stands out as a strategy that alleviates the effects of primary stress by inducing a mild oxidative stress through the administration of a priming agent prior to the actual stress. Arsenic (As) has a high potential to be found in agricultural lands, especially in irrigation water. In this study, tomato seedlings primed with different concentrations of boron (B) were subjected to 25 micromolar(µM) As application. At the end of the study, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, chlorophyll content, As accumulation, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APx) were analyzed. The results showed that compared to the group treated with As alone, the groups treated with As+B significantly reduced the effects of stress up to a certain concentration. One of the significant findings was that As accumulation decreased in all primed concentrations. This study demonstrates that B priming at an appropriate concentration can be useful for cultivating plants resistant to environmental conditions, especially in As-contaminated agricultural areas.