Seed germination traits, morphophysiology and oxidative damage in Corchorus capsularis L. under different abiotic stresses

This study explores the responses of different abiotic stresses on the morphophysiological changes of the jute (Corchorus capsularis L. cv. CVL-1) plants to investigate their adaptability to changing climatic conditions. Three levels of salinity stress (50, 75 and 100 mM NaCl) and two doses of cadmium (Cd) stress (0.50 and 1 mM CdCl2) were applied during seed germination, whereas the plants were subjected to salinity and Cd stresses by exposure to 200 and 400 mM NaCl and two doses of Cd (2 and 4 mM CdCl2), respectively, at the 15 days after sowing (DAS) to study the morpho-physiology and biochemical attributes. Waterlogging stress was induced for 5 and 15 days, while drought stress was imposed on plants for 10 and 15 days. The results revealed that all the germination and growth-related properties of C. capsularis significantly declined upon exposure to all degrees of different stresses. However, increased lipid peroxidation has been observed with severe salinity, drought, and Cd stresses through increasing malondialdehyde (MDA) content by 53, 145 and 57%, respectively, compared to the control. Besides increasing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), electrolyte leakage (EL), and catalase activity indicated severe oxidative damage. In contrast, C. capsularis demonstrated adaptation to waterlogging stress by decreasing the levels of MDA, H2O2, and EL, hence ameliorating stress-induced oxidative damage. In essence, C. capsularis showed relatively better tolerance to moderate Cd and waterlogging stresses compared with salinity and drought. These findings provide valuable insight into stress-sensitive and stress-tolerant physiological traits in C. capsularis, and future studies should integrate long-term field trials and molecular profiling to identify stable stress-responsive biomarkers.