Does excess boron affect the malondialdehyde levels of potato cultivars

Background: Malondialdehyde (MDA) is a product of lipid peroxidation and a sign of oxidative stress in plants. Therefore, determining the responses of plants to a particular type of stress at a particular time will shed a light on clarifying the stress status of the plants. In this study, we report how the MDA levels in potato cultivars changed with toxic concentrations of boron, an essential plant micronutrient. Material and Methods: Eight different potato {Solarium tuberosum) cultivars (cv. Konsul, cv. Morene, cv. Slaney, cv. Mona Lisa, cv. Jaerla, cv. Poroventa, cv. Yayla Kizi, and cv. Armada) were used as study material. Excess boron was applied for seven weeks in three concentrations (0.5, 2.5 and 5 mM) to plants that were grown from tubers. Plants were harvested and a malondialdehyde content analyses was carried out using leaf tissues. Results: The MDA levels in cv. Mona Lisa and Yayla Kizi with excess boron steadily increased with increasing concentrations in all the groups, compared to the control group. In cv. Morene, the MDA decreased in the 0.5 mM boron application and increased in the 2.5 and 5 mM boron applications. In cv. Armada, cv. Slaney, cv. Konsul, and cv. Poroventa, the MDA levels fluctuated in the different groups of each cultivar. In cv. Jaerla, the MDA decreased in all groups with an increase in boron, compared to the control group. Conclusions: The MDA levels with excess boron showed an increase, fluctuation, and decrease in each group of the cultivars, compared to the control group. Therefore, the MDA levels in potato plants with excess boron might not be a clear sign to determine the level of stress. This is the first report of MDA levels in eight different potato cultivars subjected to three different excess boron concentrations.