Effect of drought and salt stresses on antioxidant defense system and physiology of lentil (lens culinaris m.) seedlings

Date

2008

Author

Ercan, Oya

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In this study, 14 days old lentil seedlings (Lens culinaris Medik cv. Sultan), which were subjected to 7 days of drought (20% PEG 6000), and salt (150 mM NaCl ) stress , were examined in a comparative manner for the effects of drought and salt stress treatments. In shoot and root tissues physiological parameters such as wet-dry weight, relative water content, root-shoot lengths, membrane electrolyte leakage, and lipid peroxidation in terms of malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined. H2O2 content, proline accumulation and chlorophyll fluorescence analysis were also performed. Changes in the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD: EC 1.15.1.1), catalase (CAT: EC 1.11.1.6) ascorbate peroxidase (APX: EC 1.11.1.11) and glutathione reductase (GR: EC 1.6.4.2) were observed upon stress treatments. In salt treated lentil seedlings, significant decreases in wet-dry weight, RWC, shoot-root length and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements indicated a sensitivity, when compared to drought treated plants. Higher MDA concentration and higher electrolyte leakage amounts are supported these results. APX, GR and proline seem to play important roles in antioxidant defense against salt stress for both tissues by removing reactive oxygen species and protecting macromolecules and membranes. GR and proline are also maintains the main protective mechanism against drought stress effects. SOD is active in drought stressed roots and salt stressed shoots, where the H2O2 contents are also observed to be increased.

Subject Keywords

Biology., Plant physiology.

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12609250/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/17504

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Theses