Efficacy of ascorbic acid as a cofactor for alleviating water deficit impacts and enhancing sunflower yield and irrigation water–use efficiency

Ascorbic acid (AsA) is considered as one of the most important and profusely known occurring water soluble antioxidants in plants, however, it is not well known to what extent this antioxidant might contribute in alleviating the adverse effects of water deficit on plant growth, yield and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE). In attempt to clarify whether exogenous application of AsA could alleviate the adverse effects of water deficit on sunflower plants, two seasons (2014 and 2015) of field experimentation were conducted using six combinations of two AsA levels (AsA(–) and AsA(+), i.e. zero and 450 ppm AsA, respectively) and three irrigation water amounts (I100, I85, and I70, i.e. 100, 85 and 70% of crop evapotranspiration, respectively). Under water shortage, leaf chlorophyll content increased but proline content lowered in AsA–treated plants compared to the untreated ones. Lower values of LAI, head weight, seed yield ha–1, and oil yield ha–1 were recorded with decreasing water supply, while the highest values were gained when supplying plants with sufficient water (I100) plus application of AsA (i.e. AsA(+)), i.e., I100AsA(+). Plants under the latter treatment grew well and possessed higher yields compared to that of suffering from deficit water without AsA application, i.e. I85AsA(–) or I70AsA(–). Head weight and seed as well as oil yields ha–1 produced in 2014 season under sufficient water supply without AsA application (I100AsA(–)) could be achieved under moderately water–stressed condition in conjunction with applying AsA (I85AsA(+)). Implication of AsA tends to minimize the reduction in seed yield due to insufficient water supply, where I85AsA(+) and I85AsA(–), each saved same percentage of water (15.0%) but the reduction in seed yield associated the former treatment was less than that under the latter one. On the other hand, IWUE reached the maximal values in both seasons under I100AsA(+) treatment but, however, without marked differences in comparing to those recorded I85AsA(+) in 2014 season. Moreover, the differences in IWUE values exhibited by I100AsA(–) and I85AsA(+) did not reach the P < 0.05 level of significance in 2015 season, which could reveal the positive role of AsA in alleviating water stress.