Sustainable agriculture is a major theme of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Strategic Framework
2022–2031. Using microbial-based regulators is a sustainable organic approach to accomplish food safety.
Normally, drought is a menace to most crops’ agricultural production, but for leafy green vegetables the matter is
more frustrating due to grade standards. Despite breakthroughs in boosting crop tolerance to drought stress, the
quest for leafy greens remains restricted. The current report is to study the ability of biologically-produced
gibberellin by Fusarium oxysporum in alleviating water stress in leafy vegetable spinach, Spinacia oleracea.
Endophytic Fusarium oxysporum demonstrated high gibberellin production by 200±5.9 mg L 1. Water stress
(100, 75, 50, 25 % field capacity, FC) generated mild to severe abnormal growth and physiological dynamics.
Foliar-applied biological gibberellin (BG) motivated plant yield and quality by boosting various phenotypic and
physiological features in terms of plant height, biomass, and number of leaves accompanied by thicker epicu-
ticular wax, balanced water status, higher photosynthetic pigment, increased osmoprotectants. BG shoulders a
role in upgrading plant liveness via exacerbating antioxidants (anthocyanin, ascorbic acids, total antioxidants,
and flavonoids) joined with activation of secondary metabolizing enzyme phenylalanine ammonia-lyase PAL,
fulfilling consumer demand standards for spinach as well as lowering the content of phenolics and its oxidizing
enzyme polyphenol oxidas (PPO, browning causer). Catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase
(POD) were instigated thus maintaining electrolyte leakage, cellular O2
⋅ , ⋅OH, H2O2, malondialdehyde, and lipid
peroxidation at baseline levels. BG appears to reduce nitrative toxicity via enhancing nitrate reductase (NR)
activity. BG foliar spray increased spinach’s resilience to dehydration and its capacity to produce an adequate
upgraded yield while cultivated with reduced water regimes or even exposed to drought.
Research Abstract
Research Date
Research Department
Research Journal
Scientia Horticulturae
Research Member
Research Publisher
َ@ ELSIEVER
Research Rank
International Q1
Research Vol
340
Research Year
2025
Research Pages
113924