Effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid on oilseed rape seedling growth under herbicide toxicity stress

Weeds are one of the major constraints in oilseed Brassica production. Use of effective herbicides to control weeds in the fields is one of the major objectives of agronomists. To improve weed control efficacy and minimize the application costs, complex combinations of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and a new postemergence herbicide, propyl 4-(2-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yloxy)benzylamino)benzoate (ZJ0273), were used to investigate their combined effects in relation to seedling growth and development of oilseed rape (Brassica napus cv. ZS 758). Brassica seeds were treated with different concentrations of ZJ0273 [100 (normal dose for rape), 200, 500, and 1000 mg/L] and ALA (0.1, 1, 10, and 50 mg/L). ALA was applied as pre- and post-treatment alone and in combination with ZJ0273. We found that ZJ0273 stress imposed negative effects on rape seedling growth. Shoot fresh weight, shoot length, and root fresh weight were inhibited significantly under ZJ0273 stress, and the rate of decline increased consistently with increased ZJ0273 concentration. Root oxidizability was also inhibited significantly under ZJ0273 stress conditions, and the higher the concentration of the herbicide ZJ0273, the lower the oxidizability. Herbicide ZJ0273 treatment produced a gradual decrease in antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and ascorbate peroxidase) and an increase in peroxidation substance (malondialdehyde accumulation). The increase and decrease were consistent with the ZJ0273 dosage. Our results indicated that pre- and post-treatments with a lower dosage of ALA (1 mg/L) improved rape seedling growth and root oxidizability parameters, whereas a higher concentration of ALA (50 mg/L) depressed growth. We also found that plants treated with 1 mg/L ALA produced the highest shoot fresh weights, shoot lengths, root fresh weights, and root oxidizability when the seeds were treated with different concentrations of ZJ0273. Lower dosages of ALA improved the activities of antioxidant enzymes, whereas the highest dosage of ALA increased the accumulation of peroxidation substance. These results indicate that ALA has promotive effects in the recovery of growth and development of rape seedlings under herbicide ZJ0273 toxicity stress.