Drought priming at vegetative stage improves the antioxidant capacity and photosynthesis performance of wheat exposed to a short-term low temperature stress at jointing stage

Abstract

Aim To study the effects of multi-occurring stresses and the underlying mechanisms of cross-stress tolerance. Methods Wheat plants were exposed to moderate drought priming (the leaf water potential reached ca. -0.8 MPa) at the 5-6th leaf stage for 2 weeks, and the physiological and yield responses of the drought-primed and non-primed plants to low temperature stress (4/ 2°C in the day/ night for 2 days) at jointing stage were investigated. Results Under low temperature stress, the primed plants possessed higher leaf relative water content and much activated antioxidant system and hence reduced the oxidative injury to the photosynthetic apparatus, resulting in greater photosynthetic rate and higher grain yield as compared with the non-primed plants. In addition, increase of the ABA concentrations in leaf was found closely associated with the enhanced anti-oxidant enzymes activity in the primed plants.Conclusions Drought priming at vegetative stage improves cold tolerance of wheat at jointing stage via sustaining ROS homeostasis, during which ABA plays a key role in alleviating the effects of low temperature stress in the drought-primed plants.

Melatonin enhances cold tolerance in drought‐primed wild‐type and abscisic acid‐deficient mutant barley

“…The temperate plants including barley ( Hordeum vulgare ) and wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) have the ability to obtain cold tolerance through cold acclimation . Previous studies have demonstrated that drought priming at early growth stages could enhance the tolerance of wheat plants to subsequent abiotic stress, including drought, heat, and low temperature . Priming has been well known as a potential approach to promote stress tolerance of plants by prior exposure to a biotic or an abiotic stress factor, which is related to stress memory .…”

“…Priming has been well known as a potential approach to promote stress tolerance of plants by prior exposure to a biotic or an abiotic stress factor, which is related to stress memory . The underlying mechanisms of the positive effects of priming on promoting subsequent stress tolerance include more effective subcellular antioxidant systems, sustained photosynthetic electron transport, and carbon assimilation rate in the primed plants . It has been documented that abscisic acid (ABA) plays a key role in the responses of plants to abiotic stress and in stress memory .…”

Salt acclimation induced salt tolerance is enhanced by abscisic acid priming in wheat

“…The midday leaf water potential (LWP) was determined with a pressure chamber (Soil Moisture Equipment, Santa Barbara, USA). The relative water content (RWC) was measured on the latest fully expanded leaf according to Li et al (2015). For measurements of sodium (Na) concentration, 100 mg leaf sample was incubated in 5 mL concentrated sulphuric acid completely digested with 30% H 2 O 2 as catalyst.…”

“…The digestive solution was transferred to 50 mL volumetric flask to the constant volume and diluted before the test with a TAS 986 atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Beijing Purkinje General Instrument, Beijing, China). Concentration of ABA was measured with ELISA following the protocol of Li et al (2015). H 2 O 2 concentration in leaf was measured by monitoring the absorbance of titanium peroxide complex at 410 nm following the methods of Li et al (2013).…”

“…A large body of evidence has shown that an early exposure to a moderate stressor can prepare the plants more quickly or actively to respond to subsequent stress (Bruce et al 2007, Li et al 2015, Liu et al 2017. The trigger for stress tolerance (i.e.…”