Humic Acid and Sulphur Modulating Phenology, Membrane Integrity, Lipid Peroxidation and Oil Yield in Brassica juncea under Water Regimes

Abstract

Background: Indian mustard, a key oilseed crop in India, is valued for its diverse culinary and health benefits. It faces significant challenges due to a wide range of abiotic stress wherein climate-induced water stress is one of them, which negatively impacts plant population, morpho-physiological growth and biochemical reactions. Thus not only the seed yield but also oil production is declining. Methods: The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of humic acid and sulfur on phenology, membrane integrity, lipid peroxidation and oil yield in Brassica juncea under varying water regimes during the Rabi season of 2022-23 at the research farm of Lovely Professional University. The experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with a total of 16 possible combinations of water regimes and chemical treatments which include humic acid and sulfur. Result: The results indicated that most of the traits were noticed as statistically significant for both factors i.e. water regimes and chemical treatments at p=0.05%. Among the treatments, I 3 (Three irrigation) and C 3 (Humic acid + Sulfur) were detected as the most effective treatments in terms of percent increase/decrease, resulting highest value over the respective control. The highest % increase was noticed in the initial plant population, final plant population, days taken for maturity, oil content, the moisture content in oil, chlorophyll a, b, a+b and membrane stability index while the reduction in days taken for branching, days taken for the 50% flowering, relative density and malondialdehyde were noticed in the I 3 and C 3. Thus the findings suggest that the 3 irrigations in combination with humic acid and Sulfur can effectively ameliorate the morpho-physiological growth by increasing the chlorophyll contents, integrity of the cell wall and oil yield in Indian Mustard.

Full text

Volume Issue 1
D-6222
[1-7]
RESEARCH ARTICLE Agricultural Science Digest, Volume Issue : ()
Humic Acid and Sulphur Modulating Phenology, Membrane
Integrity, Lipid Peroxidation and Oil Yield in Brassica juncea
under Water Regimes
Toko Manna1, Anaytullah Siddique1 10.18805/ag.D-6222
ABSTRACT
Background: Indian mustard, a key oilseed crop in India, is valued for its diverse culinary and health benefits. It faces significant
challenges due to a wide range of abiotic stress wherein climate-induced water stress is one of them, which negatively impacts plant
population, morpho-physiological growth and biochemical reactions. Thus not only the seed yield but also oil production is declining.
Methods: The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of humic acid and sulfur on phenology, membrane integrity, lipid
peroxidation and oil yield in Brassica juncea under varying water regimes during the Rabi season of 2022-23 at the research farm
of Lovely Professional University. The experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with a total of 16 possible combinations of
water regimes and chemical treatments which include humic acid and sulfur.
Result: The results indicated that most of the traits were noticed as statistically significant for both factors i.e. water regimes and
chemical treatments at p=0.05%. Among the treatments, I3 (Three irrigation) and C3 (Humic acid + Sulfur) were detected as the most
effective treatments in terms of percent increase/decrease, resulting highest value over the respective control. The highest %
increase was noticed in the initial plant population, final plant population, days taken for maturity, oil content, the moisture content in
oil, chlorophyll a, b, a+b and membrane stability index while the reduction in days taken for branching, days taken for the 50%
flowering, relative density and malondialdehyde were noticed in the I3 and C3. Thus the findings suggest that the 3 irrigations in
combination with humic acid and Sulfur can effectively ameliorate the morpho-physiological growth by increasing the chlorophyll
contents, integrity of the cell wall and oil yield in Indian Mustard.
Key words: Humic acid, Malondialdehyde, Membrane stability index, Sulphur, Water regimes.
INTRODUCTION
Indian mustard, botanically referred to as Brassica juncea,
holds substantial economic importance as a vital oilseed
crop, particularly in regions where it serves as a primary
source of edible oil (Adhikari et al., 2021 and Premi and
Kumar, 2004). This crop is integral to agricultural systems,
especially in India, where it considered a staple for over
4000 years (Güze 2019 and Asha et al., 2021). India
produced 12 million metric tons of mustard oil in 2023-24,
making it one of the largest producers globally, while out of
the total production, Rajasthan alone contributed 40-50%
(Chaturvedi et al., 2023). However, despite this, domestic
consu mption d ue to the growing population remains
dependent on the import of 60% of edible oil imports from
Indonesia and Malaysia (Valiyaveettil et al., 2023).
To reduce import dependency, it is crucial to enhance
self-reliance in oilseed production, particularly focusing
on crops like mustard (Barik, 2023). Achieving self-reliance
in oilseed productio n is challenged by environmental
stresses, particularly drought stress, which is aggravated
by climate change (Pillai and Walia, 2024). India’s
groundwater depletion is projected to cause severe water
scarcity by 2029, with rising temperatures and reduced
winter precipitation further threatening mustard cultivation
(Ramesh et al., 2023). Consequently, significantly reduces
productivity by lowering plant population, delaying vegetative
growth and disrupting essential physiological processes
(Batool et al., 2022).
These effects are particularly pronounced during the
crop establishment phase, where adequate irrigation is
crucial for maintaining plant populations (Tajane et al.,
2023 and Murtaza et al., 2016). The phenological stages
are also closely tied to water availability and nutrient
management, with water stress often delaying them and
thus affecting yield potential (Bhattac harya and
Bhattacharya, 2021). Therefore, to avoid the interventions
of drought on the potential of seed yield and oil content in
Indian mustard, systematic planning and formulations are
1Department of A gronomy, Sch ool of Agricult ure, Lovely
Professional University, Phagwara-144 411, Punjab, India.
Corresponding Author: Anaytullah Siddique, Department of
Agronomy, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University,
Phagwara-144 411, Punjab, India.
Email: anaytullahsiddique@gmail.com
How to cite this article: Manna, T. and Siddique, A. (2025).
Humic Acid and Sulphur Modulating Phenology, Membrane Integrity,
Lipid Peroxidation And Oil Yield in Brassica juncea under Water
Regimes. Agricultural Science Digest. 1-7. doi: 10.18805/ag.D-6222.
Submitted: 14-10-2024 Accepted: 25-11-2024 Online: 16-01-2025

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE DIGEST - A Research Journal of Agriculture, Animal and Veterinary Sciences
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Humic Acid and Sulphur Modulating Phenology, Membrane Integrity, Lipid Peroxidation and Oil Yield in Brassica juncea under...
needed to enable the plant to increase the membrane
integrity, protect the degradation of chlorophyll and reduce
lipid peroxidation at cellular level (Nadia and Naqvi, 2010
and Al-Gaadi et al., 2024). In response to these challenges,
it was noticed in literature that humic acid and sulfur
application in the soil ameliorate the response of drought
in mustard (Ampong et al., 2022). Humic acid balances
both the acidic and alkaline nature of the soil and promotes
nutrient and water uptake in the plant therefore, it is known
as a soil conditioner (Mosa et al., 2020). Similarly, humic
acid along with Sulphur act synergistically in mustard
enduring the drought but also improve the yield potential of
mustard (Oyege et al., 2023; Akimbekov et al., 2021 and
Kumar and Kumar, 2007). Hence the current study was
conducted to analyze the efficiency of humic acid and sulfur
under variable water regimes on phenology, membrane
integrity, lipid peroxidation and oil yield in mustard.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A field-based study was conducted in the Rabi season of
2022 and 2023 at the research farm of Lovely Professional
University Farm, Phagwara, Punjab. The experiment was
comprised of a split-plot design with four levels of water
regimes (I0, I1, I2 and I3) and four chemical combinations
with Indian mustard (Raya RLC 3). The chemical formulations
were based upon the humic acid, Sulphur an d its
combination. During the conduct of the experiment, standard
agronomical operations were carried out as per the
recommendation of the package and practices.
To analyze the impact of treatments, phenological
parameters such as initial and final plant population plot-1,
days to 50% flowering, days to branching and days to
maturity were recorded by tracking the intervals from sowing
to the maturity of crops under different water regimes. The
relative density of mustard oil and its moisture content were
analyzed as per the (AOAC, 2000 and 2019) which is the
ratio of its density to that of water while the calculation of
relative density and moisture content were calculated as
per the following formula:
Whereas
A= Weight of specific gravity bottle + oil at 30C.
B= Weight of specific gravity bottle at 30C.
C= Weight of specific gravity bottle + water at 30C.
Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and Chl a + Chl b were derived
as per the formula suggested (Arnon, 1949).
It was estimated as per (Sairam et al., 2005) at regular
intervals of 30 days up to 90 days after sowing (DAS) while
the MSI % was computed as per the mentioned formula.
Whereas,
EC1 and EC2 represent the electrical conductivity of samples
kept at 40C and 100C in water bath.
A method of Heath and Pacer (1968) was used to
measure the synthesis of MDA content wherein 0.1%
Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) and 0.5% Thiobarbituric Acid
(TBA) reagents were used. The MDA-TBA complex was
quantified by subtracting the absorbance at 600 nm from
the absorbance at 532 nm, using the extinction coefficient
of εM=155 mM-¹ cm-¹ and the results were expressed as
µmoles MDA per gram of fresh weight.
The statistical analysis of data recorded from the
present piece of work was carried out by the software SPSS
22nd version. The level of significance was tested through
ANOVA followed by a DMRT test at (P=0.05).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Initial and final plant population Plot-1
The initial and final plant population plant-1 was evaluated
along with humic acid and sulfur under variable water
regimes in Indian mustard (Table 1). It was noticed that
both parameters were statistically nonsignificant for the
water regimes i.e. irrigation (I0 to I3) and interaction with
chemical treatments while chemical treatment alone was
detected as statistically significant (p=0.05). Therefore, the
initial and final plant population plot-1 w as relatively
consistent across all irrigation and chemical treatments,
ranging from 512.18 to 518.26 and 488.81 to 494.65 plants
plot-1. However, the highest initial and final plant populations
were recorded at 521.94 and 498.75 in C3 (Humic acid +
Sulphur) as compared to the control (Table 1).
Days taken for branching, days to 50% flowering and
maturity
Data presented (Table 1) showed the impact of treatments
on days taken for branching and 50% flowering under-
water regimes. As per the treatments are concerned, water
regimes and chemical treatments both were recorded as
statistically significant but their interaction was nonsig-
nificant at (p=0.05). Minimum days for the branching were
recorded in I3 i.e. 36.12 while 33.49 was in C3 compared to
their respective control I0 and C0 45.06 and 45.54 days
taken for the branching.
Similarly, the parameters days to 50 % flowering were
also noticed statistically significant for both the kind of
treatments irrigation regimes and chemical treatments
while its interaction was found nonsignificant (P=0.05).
Overall a minimum day to 50% flowering was noticed in I3
and C3 i.e. 37.45 and 39.52 days, which is a remarkable
reduction in days compared to their respective control 57.88
Membrane Stability Index % = 1- EC1
EC2
100
A-B
C-B
Relative density of mustard oil =
Wt. of fresh oil - Wt. of oven-dry oil
Wt. of fresh oil 100
Chlorophyll a (mg g-1 fresh Wt.) = (12.7 * A 663 - 2.69 * A
645)*(V/W*1000)
Chlorophyll b (mg g-1 fresh Wt.) = (22.9 * A 645 - 4.68 * A
663)*(V/W*1000)
Moisture content of oil (%) =

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Humic Acid and Sulphur Modulating Phenology, Membrane Integrity, Lipid Peroxidation and Oil Yield in Brassica juncea under...
Table 1: Impact of treatments on morpho-phenological traits and oil quality parameters under variable water regimes.
Treatment Initial plant Final Plant Days taken Days taken for Days taken Moisture content Relative Oil content
details population plot-1 population plot-1 for branching 50% flowering for maturity of oil (%) density (%) (%)
Main plot
Io512.18a488.81a45.06a57.88a98.26c0.79a0.94a35.78d
I1516.41a491.78a40.46b49.29b111.76b0.63b0.92b39.05c
I2517.15a494.65a36.41c38.71c130.09a0.40c0.89c42.51b
I3518.26a495.76a36.12c37.45c131.68a0.36d0.86d44.05a
CD (p=0.05%) NS NS 2.18 2.21 4.36 0.0310.02 1.27
Sub plot
C0509.76b486.35b45.54a52.04a111.51d0.68a0.92a35.26d
C1519.31a496.03a41.19b43.83c119.79b0.57b0.88d38.98c
C2512.97ab 489.84ab 37.82c47.95b114.98c0.50c0.91b41.82b
C3521.94a498.75a33.49d39.52d125.51a0.44d0.89c45.34a
CD (p=0.05%) 4.63 4.29 1.35 1.28 1.88 0.03 0.01 1.00
CD at (p=0.05%) MXS NS NS NS NS 3.76 0.06 NS 2.01
Notes:
1-I0, I1, I2 and I3 represent the number of irrigation given at critical stages.
2-C0, C1, C2 and C3 represent the control, humic acid, sulfur and humic acid + sulfur.
and 52.04 days. Data of % decrease over control was 24,
35 and 54.5, 31.7% respectively were found for the days
taken for the branching and days to 50% flowering (Fig 1).
In contrast, the extended crop maturation period was
also noticed in I3 and C3 i.e. 131.68 and 125.51 days
respectively as compared to their respective control 98.26
and 111.51 days which were statistically significant for water
reg imes, chemical treatments and their interaction at
(p=0.05%).
Moisture content, relative density and oil content
Data depicted from Table 1 also revealed the significance
of treatments on the oil quality parameters i.e. moisture
content, relative density and oil content. A significantly
gradual increase in oil content was noticed along with an
increase in irrigation frequency wherein I3 was recorded
as the highest value for the parameters at 44.05% while C3
was observed as significant among the chemical treat-
ments at 45.34%. In contrast, a gradual reduction in the mois-
ture content and relative density of the mustard oil was
found along with the increased irrigation frequency from I0
to I3 and noticed a minimum in I3 0.33 and 0.86 % while C3
was recorded as a minimum moisture and relative density
0.44 and 0.89% among the chemical treatments (Table 1).
Additionally, a negative relationship was also noticed
between the relative density and oil content (Fig 2). The
data depicted in Fig 1 also verify the highest reduction % of
moisture content and relative density in I3 and C3.
Chlorophyll contents
The results depicted in (Table 2) revealed the impact of the
treatments on chlorophyll content a, b and a+b wherein the
entire parameters were detected as highly significant for
water regimes, chemical treatments and their interaction
at (p=0.05%) for both the intervals 60 and 90 DAS. A gradual
increase of chlorophyll a, b and a+b was noticed along
with the increased water regimes wherein the I3 was noticed
as the highest value i.e. 1.645, 0.399 and 1.865 mg g-1
compared to their respective control. However, among the
chemical treatments, the significantly highest amount was
noticed in C3 1.501, 0.414 and 1.915 mg g-1 which was
followed by C1 and C2 at 90 DAS (Table 2). The improvement
in chlorophyll a, b and a+b was also presented in Fig 3
indicating the highest in I3 and T3.
Membrane stability index and Malondialdehyde content
Membrane stability index (MSI%) and malondialdehyde
(MDA µM g-1 fresh weight) were measured at 60 and 90
DAS to know the significance of the treatments. It was
noticed from Fig 4 that the MSI and MDA both were statis-
tically significant at (p=0.05%). Among the water regimes,
a gradual increase of MSI% was noticed from I0 to I3 while
MDA content declined and noticed maximum/minimum
amount of MSI and MDA in I3 70.99 % and 12.04 µM g-1
fresh weight at 90 DAS. Additionally, among the chemical
treatments, C3 was noticed as a maximum MSI of 73.7%
and minimum MDA content of 19.54 µM g-1 fresh weight at

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Humic Acid and Sulphur Modulating Phenology, Membrane Integrity, Lipid Peroxidation and Oil Yield in Brassica juncea under...
90 DAS. A close analysis of Figure 4 also revealed a
negative relationship between the MSI and MDA content.
Limited availability of water throughout the entire phase
of growth not only restricts the morpho-physiological growth
especially at the critical stage by reducing the efficiency of
photosynthesis due to the degradation of chloroph yll
content but also poses a negative impact on the seed yield
thereby limiting the oil content. In contrast, to obtain
remarkable output in terms of oil content must ensure the
optimum growth of morpho-phenological traits. It seems
from the data presented (Tab le 1) that most of the
phenological traits were significantly improved with the
supply of three irrigations at critical growth stages along
with the soil application of humic acid and sulfur because
the recovery in morpho-phenological traits up to the
optimum level is possible by holding the moisture in the
soil and facilitating the supply of nutrient. Results are well
correlated with the findings of (Afu et al., 2024) who indicated
that humic acid enhances soil structure and nutrient
availability, promoting better seedling establishment while
sulfur application improves morphological traits, final plant
population (Kumar et al., 2022 and Kodavali et al., 2022).
Optimal plant density ensures effective resource use
(Djalovic et al., 2024). Moreover, adequate moisture and
the use of humic acid and sulfur not only promote the
growth of morpho-phenological traits but also reduce the
flowering time and extensive branching by supporting
essential metabolic processes (Paul et al., 2017; Sharma
et al., 2023 and Maurya et al., 2023 and Kumar and Dhillon,
2023). Humic acid also enhances mineral absorption and
profused root development, leading to improved soil
structure further promoting earlier new branching for better
plant growth (Gerke, 2021 and Zanin et al., 2019). Results
related to chlorophyll a, b and a+b followed a similar pattern
wherein the chlorophyll content was reduced due to the
scarcity of water while it improved at three irrigations along
Table 2: Impact of treatments on Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b and a+b (mg g-1) under variable water regimes in Indian mustard.
Treatments Chlorophyll a Chlorophyll b Chlorophyll a + b
60 DAS 90 DAS 60 DAS 90 DAS 60 DAS 90 DAS
Main plot
Io1.71d1.229d0.378d0.343d2.088d1.573d
I11.77c1.339c0.409c0.372c2.186c1.712c
I21.88b1.415b0.442a0.394b2.322b1.809b
I31.91a1.465a0.428b0.399a2.339a1.865a
CD (p=0.05%) 0.025 0.03 0.007 0.007 0.031 0.033
Sub plot
C01.67d1.235d0.393d0.342d2.064d1.577d
C11.88b1.391b0.424b0.385b2.307b1.776b
C21.79c1.32c0.409c0.366c2.204c1.691c
C31.93a1.501a0.431a0.414a2.359a1.915a
CD (p=0.05%) 0.009 0.03 0.005 0.009 0.012 0.039
CD at (p=0.05%) MXS 0.018 0.06 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.078
Fig 1: Impact of treatments on morpho-phenological traits and oil quality parameters under variable water regimes.
0.6 1.2 1.4 2.0 0.7 2.5
-11.0
-23.0 -24.0
-10.0
-20.0
-35.0
-17.4
-49.0 -54.5
-18.7
-8.5
-31.7
12.1
24.5 25.4
11.2 6.7
17.7
8.4
15.8 18.8 9.5 15.7 22.2
-25.4
-97.5
-119.4
-19.3
-36.0
-54.6
-1.7 -4.9 -9.0 -4.7 -1.7 -3.1
-125.0
-105.0
-85.0
-65.0
-45.0
-25.0
-5.0
15.0
35.0
55.0
I₁ I₂ I₃ T₁ T₂ T₃
Main plot Sub plot
Percent increased / decreased over the control
Final Plant population plot-1 Days taken for branching Days taken for 50% flowering Days taken for maturity
Oil content (%) Moisture content (%) Relative density (%)

Volume Issue 5
with the soil application of humic acid and sulfur (Table 2).
Similarly, the maximum MSI% and least production of
MDA content were also detected in the same treatments
(Fig 4). The reduction of chlorophyll content under the limited
availability of water is obvious and well known (Banerjee et al.,
2021 and Gogoi et al., 2024) consequently the potential of
photosynthesis is hampered due to the collapse of cell
membrane and lipid peroxidation (Fradera-Soler et al.,
2022). The present findings follow the findings of (Moustafa-
Farag et al., 2020) who suggested that the scarcity of water
Fig 4: Impact of treatments on MSI % and MDA content (µM g-1 fresh weight) under variable water regimes in Indian mustard.
Humic Acid and Sulphur Modulating Phenology, Membrane Integrity, Lipid Peroxidation and Oil Yield in Brassica juncea under...
Fig 2: Impact of treatments on oil content (%) and Relative density (%) under variable water regimes in Indian mustard.
Fig 3: Impact of treatments on percent increased/decreased over control in chlorophyll a, b and a+b content, MSI and MDA content.

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE DIGEST - A Research Journal of Agriculture, Animal and Veterinary Sciences
6
during the critical growth period triggers the synthesis of
MDA content and consequently loss of membrane integrity.
But the use of humic acid boosts MSI by improving soil
structure, nutrient absorption and root growth (Nardi et al.,
2000) while sulfur application also strengthens the MSI by
enhancing amino acid and protein mediated by the
synthesis of enzymes (Ram et al., 2016). Additionally, the
use of humic and sulfur coordinates for the improvement
of oil quality parameters like moisture content, relative
density and oil yield in mustard crops. Similar findings
were also noticed by (Aranaz et al., 2023; Vikram et al.,
2022 and Sah et al., 2013) who pointed out that irrigation
may dilute the oil content but the use of sulfur improves the
oil content by triggering the Acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity
(Maurya et al., 2023; Shah et al., 2022 and Singh et al., 2022).
CONCLUSION
The study underscores the critical role of water regimes and
nutrient management with humic acid and sulfur in Indian
mustard. The optimum irrigation regimes (I3) in combination
with humic acid and sulfur (C3) significantly influence the
morpho-phenological traits like initial and final plant
population, leading to earlier branching and flowe-ring and
extended maturity. Unlike the morpho-phenological traits, the
findings also indicated that applied treatments coordinate
with the triggers of the synthesis of chlorophyll a, b, a+b which
is useful for enhancing the rate of photosyn-thesis. Moreover,
the study also indicates the potential of treatment in favor of
membrane integrity by reducing lipid peroxidation (MDA
content). Thereby improving the membrane stability and oil
yield and reducing the relative density of oil. Hence, the use of
irrigation at critical stages i.e. before flowering, after flowering
and pod formation stage along with the combination of humic
acid and sulfur can ameliorate the morpho-physiological
growth by increasing the chlorophyll contents, the integrity of
the cell wall and oil yield.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The present study was fully supported by Lovely Profess-
ional University.
Conflict of interest
All the authors declare that there is no conflict of interest
regarding the publication of this article.
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Humic Acid and Sulphur Modulating Phenology, Membrane Integrity, Lipid Peroxidation and Oil Yield in Brassica juncea under...