biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 58:185-188, 2014 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-013-0377-2

Protection of photosynthesis and antioxidative system by 24-epibrassinolide in Solanum melongena under cold stress

X. X. Wu^1,2, J. He³, Z. W. Zhu², S. J. Yang², D. S. Zha^1,2,*

¹ Horticultural Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China

² Shanghai Key Laboratory of Protected Horticultural Technology, Shanghai, P.R. China

³ College of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, P.R. China

This study was carried out to understand the mechanism of protection of plants under cold stress by exogenous 24-epibrassinolide (EBR). The eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) seedlings were pretreated with five concentrations of EBR (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 °M) and then exposed to day/night temperatures of 10/5 °C for 8 d. The results show that EBR, especially 0.1 °M EBR, dramatically alleviated growth suppression and a decrease in chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate caused by the cold stress. In addition, EBR also decreased malondialdehyde content and O₂ ^.- production rate induced by the cold stress, and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase, and proline content. The results of the present study suggest that exogenous EBR could improve cold tolerance of eggplant by regulating photosynthesis and antioxidative systems.

Keywords: ascorbate peroxidase; catalase; brassinosteroids; low temperature; malondialdehyde; oxidative stress; peroxidase; Solanum melongena; superoxide dismutase

Subjects: brassinosteroids; temperature - low; chlorophyll content; chlorophyll a fluorescence; net photosynthetic rate; stomatal conductance; malondialdehyde; superoxide anion; superoxide dismutase; ascorbate peroxidase; peroxidase; catalase; proline; egg plant

Received: May 22, 2013; Revised: August 6, 2013; Accepted: August 7, 2013; Published: March 1, 2014Show citation