Does grafting provide tomato plants an advantage against H2O2 production under conditions of thermal shock?

Non-grafted tomato plants ( Lycopersicon esculentum L. cv. Tmknvf₂) and grafted tomato plants ( L. esculentum L. cv. Tmknvf₂ ×  L. esculentum L. cv. RX-335) were grown for 30 days at three different temperatures (10°C, 25°C and 35°C). In the leaves of these plants, the enzymatic activities of SOD, GPX, CAT, APX, DHAR and GR were analysed, as were the concentrations of total H₂O₂, ascorbate and glutathione as well as foliar DW. Regardless of whether the plant was grafted or not, our results indicate that the thermal stress occurred mainly at 35°C, with the following effects: (1) high SOD activity; (2) H₂O₂ accumulation; (3) foliar-biomass reduction; (4) low GPX, CAT, APX, DHAR and GR activities; and (5) high concentrations of ascorbate and glutathione. In addition, our data show these effects to be much weaker in grafted than in non-grafted plants, directly reflected in greater biomass production. Therefore, the use of grafted plants under excessively high temperatures may offer an advantage over non-grafted plants in terms of resistance against thermal shock.