The Effect of Spraying Natural Materials and Conventional Herbicides on Gene Expression and Antioxidants in Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.)

Abstract Excessive application of several pesticides and herbicides induces oxidative stress in plants. Which compounds plants against weeds and pests; nevertheless, they also have detrimental side effects, rendering them prevalent abiotic stressors. The wheat plant is one of the most important nutritious crops globally. Herbicide stress adversely affects the plant’s phenological phases and metabolic pathways. To evaluate the impact of different herbicides on the gene expression levels of key antioxidant enzymes, specifically superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), in wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) plants. The experiment included six treatments (T1–T6) as follows, T1 = Control, T2 = Pallas, T3 = Topic, T4 = Soap, T5 = Vinegar, and T6 = Oranges. Among the treatment groups, the SOD levels were highest in the soap-treated group, showing a significant increase with expression gene of 4.95883, followed by the vinegar-treated group at 3.62002, and the orange-treated group at 1.24833. Conversely, the topic and Pullas-treated groups exhibited substantial down-regulation of SOD, with expression gene of −24.846 and −26.732, respectively. For GPX, the vinegar treatment resulted in the highest fold change of 22.223, while soap, Pullas, orange and Topic treatments yielded fold changes of 11.392, 9.76757, 5.60999700 and 0.27585843, respectively, compared to the control group. Notably, the topic-treated group displayed a down-regulation in GPX with expression gene of −0.27585. The results of the study indicate that the use of chemical pesticides (Pullas and Topic) and organic pesticides (e.g., vinegar, soap, and soft orange peels) causes different responses in the gene expression of antioxidant enzymes in wheat Triticum aestivum L. plants.