Changes in the water status and osmotic solute contents in response to drought and salicylic acid treatments in four different cultivars of wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Abstract

Salicylic acid (SA) controls growth and stress responses in plants. It also induces drought tolerance in plants. In this paper, four wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars with different drought responses were treated with SA in three levels of drain (90, 60, 30% of maximum field capacity) to examine its interactive effects on drought responses and contents of osmotic solutes that may be involved in growth and osmotic adjustment. Under drought condition, the cultivars Geza 164 and Sakha 69 had the plant biomass and leaf relative water content (LRWC) greater than the cultivars Gemaza 1 and Gemaza 3. In all cultivars, drought stress decreased the biomass, LRWC, and the contents of inorganic solutes (Ca, K, Mg) and largely increased the contents of organic solutes (soluble sugars and proline). By contrast, SA increased the biomass, LRWC and the inorganic and organic solute contents, except proline. Correlation analysis revealed that the LRWC correlated positively with the inorganic solute contents but negatively with proline in all cultivars. SA caused maximum accumulations of soluble sugars in roots under drought. These results indicated that SA-enhanced tolerance might involve solute accumulations but independently of proline biosynthesis. Drought-sensitive cultivars had a trait lowering Ca and K levels especially in shoots. Possible functions of the ions and different traits of cultivars were discussed.

Identification and validation of QTL for grain yield and plant water status under contrasting water treatments in fall-sown spring wheats

“…Some of these adaptations, for example stomata closing, have a negative impact on growth and grain yield. By contrast, the development of deeper root systems may help plants access water for longer dry periods, maintain water potential and open stomata, and limit yield losses under reduced irrigation (Loutfy et al 2012). Unfortunately, differences among genotypes in root architecture associated with drought tolerance are difficult to study.…”

In search of function for hypothetical proteins encoded by genes of SA-JA pathways in Oryza sativa by in silico comparison and structural modeling

“…Salicylic acid and Jasmonic acid have been reported to act as signal molecules in abiotic stress amelioration in plants [4–9]. Protective action of SA in the presence of abiotic stress is tied with cell membrane stabilization [7] and suppression of antioxidant enzyme activities [9]. Jasmonic acid a derivative of linolenic acid [10] is involved in the plant defense mechanism through a family of peptide ligands [11–13] resulting from enhanced antioxidant levels [3].…”

Reactive Oxygen Species-Dependent Nitric Oxide Production Contributes to Hydrogen-Promoted Stomatal Closure in Arabidopsis

“…When experiencing water-deficient conditions, surviving plants balance photosynthesis with controlling water loss through the stomatal pores, which relies on turgor changes by pairs of highly differentiated epidermal cells surrounding the stomatal pore, called the guard cells (Haworth et al, 2011;Loutfy et al, 2012).…”