Gibberellin Inhibitors Molecules as a Safeguard against Secondary Growth in Garlic Plants
, Geraldo Humberto Silva 4 and Willian Rodrigues Macedo 5,*
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsIn the manuscript “Growth retardants as a safeguard against secondary growth in garlic plants”, the authors investigated the effects of several growth inhibitors on garlic secondary growth. The manuscript is very useful and the results is promising to be applied in the agricultural practice. However, there are some issues that need to be solved before publication.
1. The authors indicated that trinexapac-ethyl application is the most effective way to hinder secondary growth without extra effects. Then, I suggest that the title should be changed.
2. The authors indicated that secondary growth is an adverse factor affecting the morphological factor in garlic market. However, what is secondary growth for garlic? The author should specify it and would better provide a figure or a paragraph to explain it.
3. In terms of secondary growth, I’d better use anatomical methods to investigate it. As a result, please provide anatomical structure for garlic plants.
4. When introducing the materials and treatments, the authors did not give a full description for them. For example, treatments were expressed “1”, “2”, “3”…, which may be not well associated with the treatments.
5. The manuscript will benefit from a language editing service or a native English speaker.
6. I think it is not necessary to use table type for Tables 2 and 4, which can be replaced by a independent sentence.
Author Response
Reviewer 1
In the manuscript “Growth retardants as a safeguard against secondary growth in garlic plants”, the authors investigated the effects of several growth inhibitors on garlic secondary growth. The manuscript is very useful and the results is promising to be applied in the agricultural practice. However, there are some issues that need to be solved before publication.
- The authors indicated that trinexapac-ethyl application is the most effective way to hinder secondary growth without extra effects. Then, I suggest that the title should be changed.
Answer: We agree with reviewer comment, for this reason the title of manuscript was changed to: Gibberellin inhibitors molecules as a safeguard against secondary growth in garlic plants.
We do not highlight the term trinexapac-ethyl, because other growth inhibitors (e.g.: paclobutrazol) have also demonstrated a potential action on the physiological disorder, and can be sources of study for other researchers around the world.
- The authors indicated that secondary growth is an adverse factor affecting the morphological factor in garlic market. However, what is secondary growth for garlic? The author should specify it and would better provide a figure or a paragraph to explain it.
Answer: To better clarify the secondary growth in garlic, we add a new sentence to explain this phenomenon, and we insert a new photo in Supplementary Material of this physiological disturbance.
- In terms of secondary growth, I’d better use anatomical methods to investigate it. As a result, please provide anatomical structure for garlic plants.
Answer: According this reviewer It would be interesting to present anatomical information, in our opinion, your comment is partially correct, using anatomical analysis is a important tool for contribution in the the secondary growth knowledge, but we know that it modifications are start by genetic and physiological signals, and aims in our research recognize important molecules to avoid this physiological disturb. Furthermore, published papers showed the morpho-anatomical changes in garlic under secondary growth, as:
- Hong-jiu LIU, Cai-ping HUANG, Pei-jiang TONG, Xue YANG, Ming-ming CUI, Zhi-hui CHENG. 2020. Response of axillary bud development in garlic (Allium sativum) to seed cloves soaked in gibberellic acid (GA3) solution. Journal of Integrative Agriculture. 1044-1054.
- Hongjiu Liua, Rui Denga, Caiping Huangb, Zhihui Chenga,⁎ Huanwen Meng. 2019. Exogenous gibberellins alter morphology and nutritional traits of garlic (Allium sativum) bulb. Scientia Horticulturae. 298-306.
Unfortunaly, we didn't possess more samples from plant material to carry out this requested analysis.
- When introducing the materials and treatments, the authors did not give a full description for them. For example, treatments were expressed “1”, “2”, “3”…, which may be not well associated with the treatments.
Answer: In section Material and Methods, we improve the treatments descriptions for all experiments (controlled and field environment), the alterations were highlighted in red.
- The manuscript will benefit from a language editing service or a native English speaker.
Answer: Our manuscript was subjected to language review by Editage, please see attached the Editage Certificate of Language Review.
- I think it is not necessary to use table type for Tables 2 and 4, which can be replaced by a independent sentence.
Answer: The environment data presented in tables 2 and 4 were converted into independent sentence, as reviewer requested.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear authors,
I have carefully analyzed your manuscript, which addresses an interesting subject both from a scientific point of view, but also with great practical significance. The started hypothesis is clear and refers to the identification of some (chemical) compounds that inhibit secondary growth of garlic both for the vegetative periods and in the storage and preservation.
These products should not adversely affect the main physiological processes in plants and/or the harvest quality and quantity.
The biological material was correctly chosen, the experimentation methods laborious and complex, including the various types of tests (e.g. controlled conditions and field) as well as the collection, analysis and statistical processing of the data obtained. The results were well presented and discussed, and the conclusions quite clear.
However, some aspects still require careful analysis and some corrections/additions.
- Regarding the title - the results obtained lead rather to the idea of inhibiting secondary growth processes and not slowing them down, of growth retrdants or growth inhibitors??
- The scientific names of plant species must always be written in italics.
- The manuscript introduction must be much more focused and up-to-date on the state of knowledge regarding the use, mechanism of action and effects of the application of compounds with the role of growth inhibition, attention there is literature updated with these data - it must be updated and improved.
- Material and methods – in the used commercial products, you must specify in addition to the active substances the manufacturer.
- Line 82- polyethylene crates (250 m²)???- explain please.
- Line 96- each polyethylene crate (250 dm3)- explain please.
- Line 119- "The shoots of one plant from each treatment group were collected"- dry weight determination for one plant ... is very little... It cannot be processed and statistically analyzed.
- The control variants were not sprayed or sprayed with water???
- What is the value of the field capacity for water at the specified soil type and how was it maintained by manual watering ?
- The discussions need to be better argued, especially those with reference to the impact of treatments on the main phorosynthetic indicators, ... In this case too, the expansion and updating of bibliographic references is essential
Good luck!
Author Response
Reviewer 2
Dear authors,
I have carefully analyzed your manuscript, which addresses an interesting subject both from a scientific point of view, but also with great practical significance. The started hypothesis is clear and refers to the identification of some (chemical) compounds that inhibit secondary growth of garlic both for the vegetative periods and in the storage and preservation.
These products should not adversely affect the main physiological processes in plants and/or the harvest quality and quantity.
The biological material was correctly chosen, the experimentation methods laborious and complex, including the various types of tests (e.g. controlled conditions and field) as well as the collection, analysis and statistical processing of the data obtained. The results were well presented and discussed, and the conclusions quite clear.
However, some aspects still require careful analysis and some corrections/additions.
- Regarding the title - the results obtained lead rather to the idea of inhibiting secondary growth processes and not slowing them down, of growth retrdants or growth inhibitors??
Answer: We agree with reviewer comment, for this reason the title of manuscript was changed to: Gibberellin inhibitors molecules as a safeguard against secondary growth in garlic plants.
- The scientific names of plant species must always be written in italics.
Answer: The text was revised, and all scientific names of plant species were written in italic. Majority in References Section.
- The manuscript introduction must be much more focused and up-to-date on the state of knowledge regarding the use, mechanism of action and effects of the application of compounds with the role of growth inhibition, attention there is literature updated with these data - it must be updated and improved.
Answer: According this comment our research needed improve the introduction and show more information about use, mechanism of action and effects of the application of compounds with the role of growth inhibition. Some information was presented in discussion section, but we insert new sentence in introduction section to fulfill this request, as follows:
“Among these molecules capable of retard plant growth, trinexapac-ethyl (TPE), (2-chloroethyl)trimethylammonium chloride (CCC), and paclobutrazol (PBZ) stand out, and both molecules act inhibiting the gibberellin biosynthesis [20]. In the agricultural scenario it is known that ETP is largely applied on cereal crops, to avoid plant lodging, and consequently reduce plant height, strengthen stem structure and thereby stabilize grain yield [21]; for CCC, Ram and colleagues [22] established garlic plants with characteristics more appropriate to the consumer and with gains in production when this regulator was applied at 1,000 ppm. While for PBZ, Resende and Souza [23] proved it growth inhibitor reduced significantly in secondary growth in garlic at the concentration of 1,163 mg L-1. “
- Material and methods – in the used commercial products, you must specify in addition to the active substances the manufacturer.
Answer: We add the name of manufactures of commercial products evaluated in our research.
- Line 82- polyethylene crates (250 m²)???- explain please.
Answer: We agree with reviewer, so all terms “crates” were replaced by “Polyethylene Tank”, and insert more details about plant growth.
- Line 96- each polyethylene crate (250 dm3)- explain please.
Answer: As question above, we agree with this comment, and made necessary adjusts.
- Line 119- "The shoots of one plant from each treatment group were collected"- dry weight determination for one plant ... is very little... It cannot be processed and statistically analyzed.
Answer: The reviewer is correct, this sentence don’t express the correct procedure. We’ll correct the phrase, as follow:
For analysis of shoot dry matter, a selected plant was harvested and segmented into shoot and root parts. Where, a plant from each treatment group, with 4 replications, was collected, oven-dried (65 ºC), and weighed after 72 h.
Additionally, we inform that all data were subjected to complementary tests: normality, homoscedasticity and additivity, and was proved any negative interference on statistical analysis. So, we consider this variable analysis accurately.
- The control variants were not sprayed or sprayed with water???
Answer: All control treatments were not sprayed; we correct this information in all text.
- What is the value of the field capacity for water at the specified soil type and how was it maintained by manual watering?
Answer: We agree with reviewer, for this reason the sentence was re-writing, as follow:
For this procedure, the decision making was carried out with assistance of agricultural weather stations monitoring (iCrop Technology, Brasil).
- The discussions need to be better argued, especially those with reference to the impact of treatments on the main phorosynthetic indicators, ... In this case too, the expansion and updating of bibliographic references is essential
Answer: the reviewer is right, is necessary improve the discussion of photosynthetic parameters. However, few studies show the impact of growth inhibitors on photosynthetic parameters in garlic plants. It is extremely difficult to find scientific basis from colleagues for these discussions. It is extremely difficult to find scientific basis from colleagues for these discussions, but our research group develop previous paper with natural growth inhibitor, and it served to support our research. Please see below the new sentence add in manuscript:
Evaluating clove essential oil (CEO), as garlic growth inhibitor to avoid the secondary growth, Nasser and colleagues [44] observed reduction in prevalence of secondary growth and split bulbs without affecting yield at 0.4%, the CEO, furthermore, these authors found significant reductions on gas exchange parameters in plants treated with CEO, 3 days after spray; but at 7 days after spray this reduction in parameters was no longer observed, thus after 7 days, photosynthetic activity was restored in both treatments. Thereby, the plants seem to activate alternative pathways and quickly metabolize the compounds generated by the CEO stress, without causing permanent damage to the crop, without affecting garlic bulb production and quality.
Good luck!
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsAlthough some experiments suggested were not supplemented, the authors improved the manuscript a lot.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors Most of the indications were followed, it could have been better, but now it is acceptable. Good luck!