Effect of Salicylic Acid on the Activity of Antioxidant Enzymes in Wheat under Conditions of Salination

The effect of pretreatment with 0.05 mM salicylic acid (SA) on the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase in the roots of four-day-old seedlings of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was studied under conditions of salination. The level of the stress-induced accumulation of active oxygen species and, therefore, activities of SOD and peroxidase in seedlings pretreated with SA were significantly lower than in untreated seedlings, which indicates that these enzymes contribute to the protective effect of SA on plants under conditions of salination.     

Participation of H2O2 in Enhancement of Cold Chilling by Salicylic Acid in Banana Seedlings

The possible physiological mechanism of enhancement of cold tolerance by salicylic acid (SA) in banana seedlings (Musa acuminata cv. Williams 8188) was explored. Measurements of leakage electrolyte after 2 d of recovery at 30/22 ℃ (day/night) following 3 d of cold stress at 7 ℃ showed that pretreatment with hydroponic solution containing SA 0.3－0.9 mmol/L as foliar spray under normal growth conditions (30/22 ℃) could significantly enhance cold tolerance of banana plants. The highest enhancing effect of SA occurred at 0.5 mmol/L and it showed the lowest leakage rate of electrolyte or smaller leaf wilting area after 2 d of recovery at normal temperature from 3 d of 7 ℃ or 5 ℃ cold stress. Higher concentrations (≥2.5 mmol/L) of SA, however, caused more electrolyte leakage, indicating that they aggravated chilling damage. Enhanced cold tolerance by SA could be related to H2O2 metabolism. Compared with water-treated seedlings (control), SA 0.5 mmol/L treatment inhibited activities of catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), increased peroxidase (POX) activity, but did not affect the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) under normal growth conditions, and these changes might lead to an accumulation of H2O2, whereas SA pretreatment enhanced the activities of CAT and APX, and reduced the increase in productions of H2O2 and thiobarbituric acid-reaction substances (TBARS) during subsequent 7 ℃ cold stress and recovery periods. Exogenous H2O2 treatments (1.5－2.5 mmol/L) also increased cold tolerance of banana seedlings. Furthermore, pretreatment of banana seedlings with dimethylthiourea (a trap for H2O2) significantly inhibited cold tolerance induced by SA. These results suggested that endogenous H2O2 may be required for SA-enhanced cold tolerance. The significance of the interaction of SA, H2O2 and H2O2-metabolizing enzymes during cold stress has been discussed.     

Effects of salicylic acid and salinity on apoplastic antioxidant enzymes in two wheat cultivars differing in salt tolerance

The effects of salicylic acid (SA) and salinity on the activity of apoplastic antioxidant enzymes were studied in the leaves of two wheat (Triticum aestivam L.) cultivars: salt-tolerant (Gerek-79) and salt-sensitive (Bezostaya). The leaves of 10-d-old seedlings grown at nutrient solution with 0 (control), 250 or 500 mM NaCl were sprayed with 0.01 or 0.1 mM SA. Then, the activities of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined in the fresh leaves obtained from 15-d-old seedlings. The NaCl applications increased CAT and SOD activities in both cultivars, compared to those of untreated control plants. In addition, the NaCl increased POX activity in the salt-tolerant while decreased in the salt-sensitive cultivar. In control plants of the both cultivars, 0.1 mM SA increased CAT activity, while 0.01 mM SA slightly decreased it. SA treatments also stimulated SOD and POX activity in the salt-tolerant cultivar but significantly decreased POX activity and had no effect on SOD activity in the saltsensitive cultivar. Under salinity, the SA treatments significantly inhibited CAT activity, whereas increased POX activity. The increases in POX activity caused by SA were more pronounced in the salt-tolerant than in the salt-sensitive cultivar. SOD activity was increased by 0.01 mM SA in the salt-tolerant while increased by 0.1 mM SA treatment in the salt-sensitive cultivar.     

Exogenous salicylic acid improves salinity tolerance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nitraria tangutorum</Emphasis>

In the present study, the physiological responses of Nitraria tangutorum Bobr. seedlings to NaCl stress and the regulatory function of exogenous application of salicylic acid (SA) were investigated. NaCl in low concentration (100 mM) increased while in higher concentrations (200–400 mM) decreased the individual plant dry weights (wt) of seedlings. Decreased relative water content (RWC) and chlorophyll content were observed in the leaves of seedlings subjected to salinity stress (100–400 mM NaCl). Furthermore, NaCl stress significantly increased electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The levels of osmotic adjustment solutes including proline, soluble sugars, and soluble protein were enhanced under NaCl treatments as compared to the control. In contrast, exogenous application of SA (0.5–1.5 mM) to the roots of seedlings showed notable amelioration effects on the inhibition of individual plant dry wt, RWC, and chlorophyll content. The increases in electrolyte leakage and MDA content in the leaves of NaCl-treated seedlings were markedly inhibited by SA application. The SA application further increased the contents of proline, soluble sugars, and soluble protein. The activities of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were up-regulated by NaCl stress and the activities of SOD, POD, and CAT were further enhanced by SA treatments. Application of SA in low concentration (0.5 mM) enhanced while in higher concentrations (1.0 and 1.5 mM) inhibited APX activities in leaves of NaCl-treated seedlings. These results indicate that SA effectively alleviated the adverse effects of NaCl stress on N. tangutorum.     

外源水杨酸对NaCl胁迫下大豆种子萌发和幼苗生长生理的影响

以大豆种子、幼苗为试验材料,采用砂培的方法,研究了0.2mmol·L-1外源水杨酸(SA)对100mmol·L-1 NaCl胁迫下大豆种子萌发、幼苗形态及生物量、膜脂过氧化和抗氧化酶活性的影响。结果显示:NaCl胁迫下,大豆种子萌发和幼苗生长受到显著抑制,且随着胁迫时间的延长(0~3d),大豆幼苗相对电解质渗漏率、硫代巴比妥酸活性产物(TBARS)含量显著升高,超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、抗坏血酸过氧化物酶(APX)活性均明显降低。外源SA促进NaCl胁迫下大豆种子萌发和根茎生长,增加幼苗生物量积累,降低幼苗叶片相对电解质渗漏率和TBARS含量,增强其叶片SOD、CAT、APX活性。研究表明,NaCl胁迫能显著抑制大豆种子萌发和幼苗生长,而一定浓度的外源SA能有效提高NaCl胁迫下大豆种子活力及幼苗抗氧化酶活性,减轻膜脂过氧化程度,缓解NaCl胁迫所造成的伤害,提高大豆幼苗抗盐胁迫的能力。     

Exogenous treatment with salicylic acid leads to increased antioxidant capacity in leaves of barley plants exposed to paraquat

Our previous study suggests that salicylic acid mediates tolerance in barley plants to paraquat (Ananieva et al. 2002). To further define the role of SA in paraquat induced responses, we analysed the capacity of the antioxidative defence system by measuring the activities of several antioxidative enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1), ascorbate peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11), glutathione reductase (GR, EC 1.6.4.2), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR, EC 1.8.5.1), catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6), and guaiacol peroxidase (POX, EC 1.11.1.7). Twelve-day-old barley seedlings were supplied with 500 micromol/L SA or 10 micromol/L Pq via the transpiration stream and kept in the dark for 24 h. Then they were exposed to 100 micromol m(-2) s(-1) PAR and samples were taken 6 h after the light exposure. Treatment of seedlings with 10 micromol/L Pq reduced the activity of APX and GR, did not affect the activity of POX and DHAR but caused over a 40% increase in the activity of CAT. Pre-treatment with 500 micromol/L SA for 24 h in the dark before Pq application increased the activities of the studied enzymes in both the chloroplasts (SOD activity) and the other compartments of the cell (POX, CAT activity). The effect of SA pre-treatment was highly expressed on DHAR and POX activity. The data suggest that SA antagonizes Pq effects, via elicitation of an antioxidative response in barley plants.     

水杨酸对高温胁迫下铁皮石斛幼苗耐热性的影响

为研究不同浓度水杨酸对铁皮石斛幼苗耐热性的诱导效应,以移栽半年的铁皮石斛幼苗为实验材料,对不同浓度水杨酸诱导高温胁迫下铁皮石斛幼苗的耐热性进行外观评价及叶绿素、可溶性蛋白质、可溶性糖、丙二醛(MDA)、游离脯氨酸(Pro)含量以及超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化酶(POD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、抗坏血酸过氧化物酶(APX)活性的动态测定,观察其动态变化趋势并筛选最佳施用浓度.结果显示:在高温胁迫环境下,随着胁迫时间的延长,不同浓度SA处理均能有效缓解高温对铁皮石斛植株伤害;1.5～2.0 mmol·L1SA处理使铁皮石斛叶片中SOD、POD活性显著提高,0.5～1.5 mmol·L-1 SA处理叶片中CAT、APX活性显著提高;1.5～2.0 mmol·L-1SA处理可显著促进叶片Pro、可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白的积累,有效抑制MDA含量的增加,且不同浓度处理之间差异显著.研究表明,适宜浓度水杨酸处理能提高铁皮石斛幼苗的耐热性,并以1.5 mmol·L-1浓度处理效果最好.     

植物色素在24-表油菜素内酯调节油菜耐盐性中的作用

为了探索24表油菜素内酯(24-EBL)对盐胁迫下油菜生长的调节效应和植物色素在油菜耐盐性中的作用,采用盆栽实验,在盐胁迫下外源喷施1 000、10、0.1、0.001 nmol·L-1 24-EBL处理油菜幼苗,测定植株的生物量、电解质渗漏率(ELP)、净光合速率(Pn)、光合色素、酚类、类黄酮、花青素含量以及抗氧化能力(T-AOC).结果显示:(1) 24-EBL可显著缓解盐胁迫对油菜幼苗的氧化伤害,提高盐渍下油菜幼苗Pn和光合色素含量,并以0.1nmol·L-1 24 EBL(EBL3)对生长的调控效应最佳.(2)盐胁迫下,植株不同部位叶片的β-胡萝卜素(β-Car)和叶黄素(Lut)含量均显著下降,EBL3处理可显著提高其上部叶的β-Car含量,以及上部和中部叶的Lut含量;EBL3处理可显著提高盐胁迫下油菜所有叶片和叶柄的酚类含量,以及叶柄中类黄酮含量;EBL3处理可显著提高盐胁迫下油菜幼苗所有器官的花青素含量.(3) EBL3仅能够诱导上部叶和中部叶类胡萝卜素(Car)提取液的抗氧化能力(T-AOC)提高,但可诱导植株所有器官的酚类提取液的T-AOC提高.(4)不同部位的叶片Car、β-Car和Lut含量均与其Car提取液的T-AOC呈极显著正相关;而上部叶的总酚和花青素含量、中部叶和叶柄的花青素含量及茎秆中总酚、类黄酮和花青素含量与各自的酚类提取液的T-AOC呈极显著正相关.研究表明,外源喷施适宜浓度的24-EBL能够显著促进盐渍条件下油菜幼苗的光合能力,提高其抗氧化能力,从而增强其对盐渍胁迫的适应性,而光合色素和花青素水平被24-EBL诱导上升在油菜幼苗抗氧化过程中起着重要的作用.     

Protective role of salicylic acid applied before cold stress on antioxidative system and protein patterns in barley apoplast

This study was carried out to better understand the role of salicylic acid (SA) applied before cold stress in the cold tolerance mechanism. Two barley (Hordeum vulgare) cultivars, cold-sensitive (Akhisar) and cold-tolerant (Tokak), were used and 0.1 mM SA was applied to 7-d-old barley seedlings growing under control conditions (20/18 °C). The seedlings were transferred to cold chamber (7/5 °C) at the age 14, 21, and 28 d. After three days, the leaves were harvested to determine the activities of apoplastic antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POX) and ice nucleation activity and electrophoretic patterns of apoplastic proteins. Cold treatment decreased the activities of all enzymes in cold-sensitive cultivar, however, it increased CAT and POX activities in cold-tolerant cultivar. Exogenous SA increased enzyme activities in both cultivars. Ice nucleation activity increased by cold treatment, especially in 17-d-old seedlings in both cultivars. In addition, SA treatment increased ice nucleation activity in all examined samplings in both cultivars. SA treatment caused accumulation or de novo synthesis of some apoplastic proteins. The results of the present study show that exogenous SA can improve cold tolerance by regulating the activities of apoplastic antioxidative enzymes, ice nucleation activity, and the patterns of apoplastic proteins.     

Combined Effect of Salicylic Acid and Nitrogen Oxide Donor on Stress-Protective System of Wheat Plants under Drought Conditions

Presowing treatment of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seeds with 10 or 100 μM salicylic acid (SA) reduced the inhibition of 14-day-old plant growth under soil drought. The same effect was caused by the spraying of 7-day-old seedlings with 0.5 or 2 mM nitrogen oxide donor (sodium nitroprusside, SNP) before drought. The protective effect was enhanced by the combination of seed treatment with 10 μM SA and plant spraying with 0.5 mM SNP, while their combinations in higher concentrations caused weaker effects. SA treatment in both concentrations and 0.5 mM SNP under drought conditions increased the antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and guaiacol peroxidase) in leaves. This effect was especially significant when 10 μM SA was combined with 0.5 mM SNP. Spraying with 2 mM SNP and its combination with seed presowing with 100 μM SA did not significantly change the antioxidant enzyme activity; however, the proline content in the leaves increased. It is concluded that the SA stress-protective action on plants can be modified with exogenous nitrogen oxide.     

不同通气条件下硫代硫酸银对马铃薯试管苗生长和抗氧化酶活性的影响

以二倍体马铃薯试管苗为试材,研究不同通气条件下乙烯生理拮抗剂硫代硫酸银(STS)对试管苗生长和抗氧化酶活性影响的结果表明:通气条件下培养的试管苗茎高降低,叶面积和叶绿素含量增加,培养基中附加STS的效果更为明显,无论在通气还是不通气条件下,培养基中加STS的试管苗茎高降低,叶面积和叶绿素含量增加,均达极显著水平.通气和培养基中加STS的试管苗中丙二醛(MDA)含量下降。通气条件下超氧化物歧化酶(要SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)和过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性提高;培养基中加STS的试管苗中SOD活性提高,POD和CAT活性下降。     

Salicylic acid induced physiological and biochemical changes in wheat seedlings under water stress

Salicylic acid (SA) is an important signal molecule modulating plantresponses to stress. It is recently reported to induce multiple stresstolerancein plants including drought. An experiment was, therefore, conducted toascertain the effect of salicylic acid on the growth and metabolic profile ofwheat seedlings under water stress. Irrespective of the SA concentration(1–3 mM) and water stress, SA treated plants showed, ingeneral, a higher moisture content, dry mass, carboxylase activity of Rubisco,superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and total chlorophyll compared to those ofuntreated seedlings. SA treatment, under water stress, protected nitratereductase (NR) activity and maintained, especially at 3 mM SAconcentration, the protein and nitrogen content of leaves compared to watersufficient seedlings. Results signify the role of SA in regulating the droughtresponse of plants and suggest that SA could be used as a potential growthregulator, for improving plant growth under water stress.     

Adaptive mechanism of Echinochloa crus-galli Beauv. var. formosensis Ohwi under salt stress: Effect of salicylic acid on salt sensitivity

Our previous study revealed that salicylic acid (SA) accumulates in salt-stressed rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Nipponbare) seedlings, and we hypothesized that the accumulation of SA might potentiate oxidative injury in rice seedlings since the inhibition of SA synthesis alleviated the growth inhibition under high salinity. To further clarify the action of SA under salt stress, we investigated the changes in the SA content, the activities of the antioxidative enzymes, and the effects of exogenous SA on barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli Beauv. var. formosensis Ohwi), a gramineous weed which shows lower SA content and is more salt tolerant than rice. In E. crus-galli seedlings exposed to high salinity, neither free nor conjugated SA content showed any increase, while the fresh weight of the shoot and chlorophyll fluorescence (Φ_PSII) slightly decreased. When E. crus-galli seedlings were treated with salt after foliar application of SA, the absorbed SA resulted in the enhancement of the salt-induced growth inhibition and a striking reduction of the Φ_PSII value. Catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities of E. crus-galli seedlings were induced by the salt treatment. However, SA pre-treatment suppressed such an induction of CAT activity and further promoted SOD activity, both of which led to the elevation of the leaf hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) level. The present results suggested that enlargement of the cellular SA pool facilitates the generation of H₂O₂ through the suppression of CAT activity and through a remarkable promotion of SOD activity, and thereby enhances the oxidative injury caused by salt stress.     

Salicylic Acid Application Mitigates Oxidative Damage and Improves the Growth Performance of Barley under Drought Stress

Drought is a severe environmental constraint, causing a significant reduction in crop productivity across the world. Salicylic acid (SA) is an important plant growth regulator that helps plants cope with the adverse effects induced by various abiotic stresses. The current study investigated the potential effects of SA on drought tolerance efficacy in two barley (Hordeum vulgare) genotypes, namely BARI barley 5 and BARI barley 7. Ten-day-old barley seedlings were exposed to drought stress by maintaining 7.5% soil moisture content in the absence or presence of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mM SA. Drought exposure led to severe damage to both genotypes, as indicated by phenotypic aberrations and reduction of dry biomass. On the other hand, the application of SA to drought-stressed plants protected both barley genotypes from the adverse effects of drought, which was reflected in the improvement of phenotypes and biomass production. SA supplementation improved relative water content and proline levels in drought-stressed barley genotypes, indicating the osmotic adjustment functions of SA under water-deficit conditions. Drought stress induced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and superoxide (O₂ ^•− ), and the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) in the leaves of barley plants. Exogenous supply of SA reduced oxidative damage by restricting the accumulation of ROS through the stimulation of the activities of key antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX). Among the three-applied concentrations of SA, 0.5 mM SA exhibited better mitigating effects against drought stress considering the phenotypic performance and biochemical data. Furthermore, BARI barley 5 showed better performance under drought stress than BARI barley 7 in the presence of SA application. Collectively, our results suggest that SA played a crucial role in improving water status and antioxidant defense strategy to protect barley plants from the deleterious effects of water deficiency.     

低温弱光下水杨酸对黄瓜幼苗光合作用及抗氧化酶活性的影响

为了探讨低温弱光下水杨酸（SA）对黄瓜光合功能的调控作用,以‘津优3号’黄瓜幼苗为试材,叶面喷施不同浓度的SA溶液,研究低温弱光下黄瓜幼苗气体交换参数、光化学效率、MDA含量及抗氧化酶活性的变化.结果表明：低温弱光胁迫使黄瓜幼苗叶片的光合速率（P_n）、气孔导度（G_s）、蒸腾速率（T_r）、PSⅡ光下实际光化学效率（Φ_PSⅡ）及暗下最大光化学效率（F_v/F_m）明显降低,胞间CO₂浓度（C_i）显著升高,说明低温弱光下黄瓜幼苗P_n下降的主要原因是非气孔限制;低温弱光还可引起黄瓜幼苗丙二醛（MDA）含量增加,超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性升高,过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性降低,过氧化物酶（POD）活性先升高后降低.而胁迫前用0.5～2.5 mmol·L^-1 SA预处理幼苗,其叶片的P_n、G_s、T_r、Φ_PSⅡ、F_v/F_m及SOD、POD和CAT活性与CK（水预处理）相比均有不同程度的提高,C_i和MDA含量有所降低.表明SA可有效调控低温弱光下黄瓜幼苗叶片的光合功能,提高其低温弱光耐性,其适宜浓度为1 mmol·L^-1.     

土壤干旱对2个种源野生酸枣幼苗生长和生理特性的影响

以采自陕西杨陵和安塞的2个1年生酸枣幼苗为材料,采用盆栽称重控水法研究了中度和重度土壤干旱胁迫对它们生长和生理特性的影响.结果表明,不同程度的水分胁迫均使2种源酸枣新生侧枝长度受到极显著抑制,其苗高和基径也受到一定程度抑制,同时分别使叶片相对含水量和水分饱和亏有一定程度的降低和升高;2种源酸枣叶片的叶绿素a含量在各水分胁迫均极显著降低,它们的总叶绿素含量也在重度干旱下显著降低;随土壤干旱胁迫时间的延续,2种源酸枣叶片保护酶SOD、CAT、APX活性上下波动,其脯氨酸和可溶性糖含量逐渐升高,而超氧阴离子含量在较低水平下波动,丙二醛含量逐渐降低.杨陵酸枣在土壤水分较好的条件下表现良好,而安塞酸枣则具有更强的适应旱生能力.研究发现,在不同程度的土壤干旱胁迫下,2个种源酸枣的生长均受到一定程度的抑制,但它们均能调节自身的保护酶系统活性和渗透调节物质含量来减轻干旱伤害,维持植物体的正常生理代谢功能,表现出较强的抗旱耐旱能力.     

Effects of salicylic acid pre-treatment on cadmium and/or UV-B stress in soybean seedlings

The present study examined the effect of salicylic acid (SA) pre-treatment on soybean seedlings exposed to cadmium and/or UV-B stress. Dry mass, pigment content, net photosynthetic rate (P_N), stomatal conductance (g_s), and transpiration rate (E) were decreased by the Cd and/or UV-B stress. SA alleviated the adverse effects of Cd and/or UV-B on growth, pigment content, PN, and gs, but did not mitigate the inhibitory effect of Cd/UV-B on E, or that of Cd on chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. Cd and/or UV-B induced oxidative stress and increased lipid peroxidation that was significantly decreased by SA pre-treatment. The Cd and/or UV-B increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, decreased peroxidase (POD) activity, and catalase (CAT) activity was mostly unaltered. SA might act as one of the potential antioxidants as well as a stabilizer of membrane integrity to improve plant resistance to the Cd and/or UV-B stress.     

Aluminium-induced production of oxygen radicals, lipid peroxidation and DNA damage in seedlings of rice (Oryza sativa)

The effect of aluminium (Al) on seedlings of two rice cultivars, Pusa Basmati and Vikas was investigated after different hours of exposure to 80 mol/L of external Al supply. With increasing time of exposure, the growing seedlings readily absorbed Al and its localization was greater in roots than shoots. Prolonged exposure to Al intensified lipid peroxidation, changed the activities of SOD and peroxidase and caused DNA damage. However, differential responses were observed between the seedlings of two rice cultivars under Al stress. A close inverse relationship existed between decreased root growth and increased Al accumulation, lipid peroxidation, SOD, peroxidase activities and DNA damage. The results demonstrate that roots are the major sites of Al localization and accumulation of Al promoted oxygen free radicals mediated peroxidation of membranes as evidenced by increased MDA levels and the activities of SOD and peroxidase. Our results for the first time showed that Al can cause DNA damage in rice.     

The effect of NaCl on antioxidant enzyme activities in potato seedlings

The effect of NaCl on the growth and activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were investigated in the seedlings of four potato cultivars (Agria, Kennebec; relatively salt tolerant, Diamant and Ajax; relatively salt sensitive). The shoot fresh mass of Agria and Kennebec did not changed at 50 mM NaCl, whereas in Diamant and Ajax it decreased to 50 % of that in the controls. In Agria and Kennebec, SOD activity increased at 50 mM NaCl, but no significant changes observed in Diamant and Ajax. At higher NaCl concentration, SOD activity reduced in all cultivars. CAT and POD activities increased in all cultivars under salt stress. Unlike the other cultivars, in Ajax seedlings, APX activity increased in response to NaCl stress. We also observed new POD and SOD isoenzyme activities and changes in isoenzyme compositions under salt stress. These results suggest that salt-tolerant potato cultivars may have a better protection against reactive oxygen species (ROS) by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes (especially SOD) under salt stress.     

Salicylic acid increases tolerance to oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide accumulation in leaves of cadmium-exposed flax (Linum usitatissimum L.)

The aim of this study is to investigate the impacts of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) pretreatments on hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) accumulation, protein oxidation, and H₂O₂-scavenging enzymes in leaves of Cd-treated flax seedlings. Cd-enhanced H₂O₂ levels were related to increased activities of guaiacol peroxidase (POX, EC 1.11.1.7) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11), and were independent of changes in catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6) and superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) activities. In control flax seedlings, exogenous SA pretreatments inhibited the activity of CAT, resulted in an enhanced production of H₂O₂ suggesting that SA requires H₂O₂ to initiate an oxidative stress. However, although leaves of Cd-free flax seedlings pretreated with SA accumulated in vivo H₂O₂ by 1.2-fold compared with leaves of Cd-only exposed ones; the damage to growth and proteins after the exposure to Cd was significantly less, indicating that SA can regulate the Cd-induced oxidative stress. Moreover, the Cd-treated seedlings primed with SA exhibited a higher level of total antioxidant capacities and increased activities of H₂O₂-detoxifying enzymes.