Naked Oat and <i>Fusarium culmorum</i> (W.G.Sm.) Sacc. Responses to Growth Regulator Effects

The antioxidant defense system can be stimulated by growth regulators in plants when they are under stress, such as exposure to pathogens. There are a lot of natural growth regulators on the market, but no research has been carried out yet to determine how effective they are. This field and laboratory study examines the impact of two commonly used Russian growth regulators, Crezacin and Zircon, along with artificial infection with <i>Fusarium culmorum</i> on the antioxidant system of naked oat. The results show that, compared to the control, Crezacin-treated plants had higher contents of low molecular weight fructose and nonenzymatic antioxidants like proline, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids. Zircon-treated plants had a lower content of proline, carbohydrates, and lower total antioxidant activity than the control plants. The obtained data show that Crezacin treatment mainly affected nonenzymatic systems of the antioxidant defense. This treatment was more successful than the Zircon application, which did not show any appreciable effectiveness and was typically associated with an improvement in oat productivity. The treatment with growth regulators and a fungal suspension performed at the flowering phase provided the best effect on the biochemical parameters and productivity of naked oats. Moreover, oat treatment with the pathogen promoted the reproductive capabilities of the plants, while growth regulators helped in avoiding infectious stress.