Glycinebetaine Enhances Osmotic Adjustment of Ryegrass under Cold Temperatures

Abstract

Perennial (Lolium perenne L.) and annual (L. multiflorum) ryegrass are important species for landscape (e.g., turf) and agricultural (e.g., pasture systems) uses. Abiotic stresses limit the survival, growth, and/or appearance of these species. The synthesis and accumulation of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) such as glycinebetaine (GB) are an adaptive response to abiotic environmental stresses in some species. Both L. perenne and L. multiflorum are GB-accumulating species, and exogenous application of GB may enhance growth under less-than-optimal environmental conditions. We tested the effects of exogenous application of GB on growth and water relations of annual and perennial ryegrass growing under temperatures at the lower limits of their optimal growth. Osmotic stress resulted in increased GB accumulation in L. perenne, but exposure to cold temperatures did not result in increased GB accumulation in either species. Both species accumulated higher concentrations of GB in leaf and stem tissues when exogenous GB was supplied, regardless of growing temperature. Exogenous GB did contribute to lower osmotic potential in both species, but did not affect relative water content, although succulence was higher in some cases. Overall, exogenous GB did not affect growth under optimal growing temperatures, but did enhance growth of L. perenne growing under low temperatures.

Beet Molasses Enhance Salinity Tolerance in Thymus serpyllum—A Study under Greenhouse Condition

“…GB is assumed to have several adaptive effects on drought and salt stressed plants. The role of GB is to maintain water content in plant cells by lowering solute potential under osmotic stress [ 62 , 63 ].…”

Betaine Aldehyde Dehydrogenase (BADH) vs. Flavodoxin (Fld): Two Important Genes for Enhancing Plants Stress Tolerance and Productivity

“…The foliar application of GB induced the salinity tolerance in onions by up-regulating antioxidative defense systems, including non-enzymatic (glutathione and ascorbic acid), enzymatic [CAT, SOD, and ascorbate peroxidase (APX)] antioxidants, photosynthetic efficiency, and increasing the membrane stability index (Rady et al, 2018 ). Similarly, the exogenous application of GB enhanced the cold stress tolerance of perennial ( Lolium perenne L.) and annual ( L. multiflorum ) ryegrass (Mickelbart and Boine, 2020 ) along with the drought tolerance of sweet potatoes ( Ipomoea batatas ) (Tisarum et al, 2020 ). A comparative analysis of the exogenous application of abscisic acid (ABA) and GB on enhancing the drought tolerance of Axonopus compressus revealed that GB was more effective than ABA.…”