TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ralh, Pallvi
AU  - Singh, Gurpreet
T1  - Comparative Analysis of Neem Extract and Chemical Pesticides on Physiological and Biochemical Responses in Maize Seedlings
JO  - Journal of Stress Physiology & Biochemistry
Y1  - 2025/june
VL  - 21
IS  - 2
SP  - 143
EP  - 155
UR  - http://www.jspb.ru/issues/2025/N2/JSPB_2025_2_143-155.pdf
KW  - Neem extract
KW  - Profenofos
KW  - malathion
KW  - antioxidative enzymes
KW  - maize seedling
KW  - lipid peroxidation
U1  - 1997-0838
N2  - Chemical pesticides are an essential component of modern agriculture practice but they mitigate with various metabolic pathways of crops. Biopesticides including botanical extracts are plant-based flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds which has the potential of both the pesticides as well as phyto-protection. The present study compares the effect of chemical pesticide viz-a-viz neem based biopesticides on various physiological, biochemical and antioxidative properties in the developing maize seedlings. We observed that different conc. of profenofos and malathion resulted in decreased shoot and root length, interfered with photosynthetic components such as Chl a, chl b , chl a+b, carotenoid content and also resulted in decreased activity of total phenol, starch and MDA content. The MDA content, FRAP assay and various antioxidant enzyme assays show differential behaviour. The total antioxidative activity (FRAP assay) and antioxidant enzyme activities of APX, CAT, SOD showed enhanced activities vis-à-vis differential expression under chemical pesticide stress conditions, thus suggests that the pesticide produces the oxidative stress in plant and triggers the antioxidant defence system to counter the stress. Different conc. of Neem based biopesticide, exhibited an increase in shoot and root length, chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments, phenol, sugar content. This study thus suggests the biopesticide alleviates the physiological and biochemical activities thereby increasing the productivity compared to chemical pesticides and thus further supports that organic pesticides can be used as alternative pesticide.
ER  -