白三叶和红三叶对人工融冻胁迫的生理响应差异

采用人工模拟融冻胁迫方法,通过测定白三叶(Trifolium repens)和红三叶(T.prat-ense)在融冻胁迫中叶片细胞膜透性、MDA含量、抗氧化酶(SOD、POD、CAT)活力、渗透调节物(脯氨酸、可溶性糖和蛋白质)含量变化,以揭示未来气候变化对三叶草的影响。结果表明,经历融冻胁迫循环后抗冻力强的白三叶植株能恢复生长,而抗冻力弱的红三叶枯萎死亡。在融冻阶段,两三叶草叶片细胞膜透性增大、抗氧化酶活力增高、MDA和渗透调节物含量大幅增加;在冻融阶段,两三叶草叶片细胞膜透性降低、MDA含量下降、抗氧化酶活力降低。但在融冻胁迫循环中,白三叶叶片POD和CAT活力高于红三叶,脯氨酸含量较红三叶高5倍,但细胞膜透性低于红三叶。白三叶在-5℃抗逆生理指标达到最大值,而红三叶在-10℃。白三叶对环境温度变化反应敏感,在-5℃通过快速激活抗氧化酶系统和积累渗透调节物以抑制膜脂过氧化和维护细胞水分平衡在融冻适应上起重要作用。白三叶具有较强的抗融冻能力,是未来值得应用推广的优良园林绿化植物。     

冬季融冻过程中白三叶叶片抗氧化酶活力和渗透调节物含量变化与抗冻性的关系

入冬气温大幅变化引起的冻融既是抗冻植物抗冻力形成的重要阶段也是非抗冻植物大量死亡的主要原因,但是抗冻植物为何能在冬季融冻条件下生存的生理机理尚不清楚。以生长在烟台地区抗冻白三叶(Trifolium repens)为材料,分析研究了不同微生态环境下生长的白三叶在冬季融冻过程中叶片抗氧化物酶活性、渗透调节物含量、丙二醛和细胞膜透性的变化,以了解它们在白三叶抗冻中的作用。结果表明:在气温突然下降至零度以下(融-冻阶段),三样地白三叶叶片冻结,叶片细胞膜透性在经历短暂下降后迅速急剧增加2倍,MDA含量增加85%,叶片中脯氨酸和蛋白质含量、抗氧化酶(过氧化氢酶(CAT)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD))活力增加。在气温上升至日均温零度以上(冻-融阶段), 叶片开始融化,白三叶叶片膜透性、丙二醛和脯氨酸含量、POD和CAT活力先增加后降低,SOD活力和蛋白质含量持续增加。由此可见,快速增强的抗氧化物酶活力和快速增加的渗透调节物及时清除氧自由基防止细胞内膜脂过氧化保护了细胞膜的完整性而使细胞能在冷冻条件下生存,这可能是白三叶能在反复融冻过程中正常生长的重要生理机理。     

氮肥、钙肥和盐处理在冬小麦融冻胁迫适应中的生理调控作用

采用盆栽法种植冬小麦(烟农19号),在出苗7d后分别用氮肥(60mmol/L NH4CO3)、钙肥(100 mmol/L CaCl2)和NaCl(100 mmol/L)处理,生长30 d后开始冻融处理(15℃,0℃,-15℃,0℃,15℃各处理3h).结果表明,在融冻和冻融胁迫过程中冬小麦叶片细胞膜透性变化和膜脂过氧化程度与温度变化呈显著负相关(R=-0.89**,R=-0.85**).与对照相比,经氮肥、钙肥和盐处理的冬小麦叶片细胞膜透性和丙二醛含量较低,而SOD、CAT和POD活力均较高,这表明施肥能降低细胞膜脂过氧化作用,提高细胞膜抗氧化能力.但不同肥料和盐处理在冬小麦融冻胁迫中对渗透调节物质的调节作用存在差异.施氮肥使冬小麦叶片脯氨酸和可溶性蛋白质含量分别高于对照44.3％和23.6％,可溶性糖含量低于对照(-17.3％);而钙肥和盐处理却使冬小麦叶片可溶性糖含量高于对照(57.5％和37.1％).研究表明,氮肥通过调节氮代谢提高脯氨酸和蛋白质含量,钙肥通过促进糖代谢提高可溶性糖含量.因此,冬季给冬小麦幼苗施一定的混合肥,不仅可促使植物细胞积累较多的渗透调节物质防止细胞结冰,激活体内保护酶系统防止细胞膜脂过氧化,而且施肥还可促使来年春季幼苗的快速返青健壮生长.通过合理施肥改善植物的代谢提高作物的抗融冻能力,这可能是目前投资少,见效快的有效途径.     

冬季高温对白三叶越冬和适应春季"倒春寒"的影响

暖冬和春季"倒春寒"已严重影响着多年生植物生长发育。选择建植3a的白三叶(Trifolium repens Linn)为试验材料,在入冬采用搭建塑料大棚模拟暖冬方法,通过在建棚前、建棚后、冬季融冻胁迫、春季揭棚后和"倒春寒"过程中测定棚外和棚内白三叶植株高度和叶片抗逆生理指标的变化以揭示未来暖冬对白三叶生存和生态园林持续发展的影响。结果表明,冬季棚外气温均温低于0℃,白三叶叶片经历了冻融胁迫,棚内温度高于0℃,叶片始终未结冻。搭棚前,棚内外试验地白三叶生长势无差异。搭棚后100d棚内白三叶株高是棚外的3倍,但揭棚后3个月棚内外白三叶株高一致。另外,冬季虽然棚内外白三叶叶片细胞膜透性、丙二醛(MDA)、脯氨酸、可溶性糖含量和抗氧化酶活力(SOD、CAT、POD)均随气温下降而增高与气温变化呈负相关,但棚外白三叶叶片上述生理指标均高于棚内。在春季揭棚后2d,冬季棚内生长的白三叶不仅叶片细胞膜透性和MDA含量急剧增加并高于揭棚前和棚外白三叶,而且叶片SOD和CAT活性和可溶性糖和脯氨酸含量急剧增加也明显高于棚外白三叶。在春季"倒春寒"时,冬季棚内外不同温度下生长的白三叶叶片细胞膜透性快速升高、脯氨酸和可溶性糖含量、POD和SOD活性均上升,两处理间无显著差异。研究表明,冬季零度以上低温可延缓冬季白三叶绿叶期和单个叶片的寿命,可使白三叶安全渡过春季"倒春寒",未来暖冬不会降低白三叶抗融冻能力和其返青生长势。而这与白三叶能快速应对环境温度变化,通过调整生理代谢使叶片中快速积累渗透调节物和激活抗氧化酶防止氧自由基积累抑制膜脂过氧化,保护细胞膜的完整性有直接关系。     

海滨沙滩单叶蔓荆对沙埋的生理响应特征

海滨沙滩单叶蔓荆(Vitex trifolia L.var.simplicifolia)是优良的抗沙埋地被植物.以烟台海岸沙地单叶蔓荆为材料,通过不同厚度沙埋过程中沙上和沙下叶片抗逆生理指标的测定以揭示其抗沙埋生理调控机制.结果表明,轻度和中度沙埋5d,成株和幼株整株叶片细胞膜透性增大、POD和SOD活力增高、MDA和脯氨酸含量和叶片相对含水量(RWC)增加、可溶性糖含量下降.但同株沙上叶片细胞膜透性、MDA含量、SOD和POD活力和可溶性糖含量均高于沙下,而沙上叶片脯氨酸含量低于沙下叶片.在轻度和中度沙埋lOd,沙上叶片细胞膜透性、MDA和可溶性糖含量、叶片POD活力降低,叶片SOD活力仍有小幅度增高,但脯氨酸含量增加,沙上叶片生长旺盛.研究表明,沙埋下叶片抗氧化酶活力和脯氨酸含量与细胞膜透性和膜脂过氧化成正相关.沙埋使植株上部叶片接近沙表面而经受干旱和地面热辐射胁迫引起细胞膜脂过氧化加剧和细胞膜透性加大.同时沙埋也使沙下叶片遭遇黑暗和缺氧胁迫诱导细胞内膜脂过氧化,但也激活了叶片抗氧化酶保护系统和叶片脯氨酸的积累抑制细胞膜脂过氧化维护细胞膜的稳定.因此在沙埋过程中,叶片快速响应沙埋胁迫激活叶片抗氧化酶系统抑制膜脂过氧化作用维持氧自由基和抗氧化酶系统的动态平衡在单叶蔓荆适应轻度和中度沙埋,维护沙上叶片旺盛生长中起重要作用,也是重度全埋下沙下植株茎顶端能快速延伸弯曲生长最后顶出沙面再生的主要生理保护原因.     

低温胁迫下钼对冬小麦抗氧化防御系统及膜脂过氧化的影响

研究了低温（0～5℃）胁迫下钼对冬小麦抗氧化系统和膜脂过氧化的影响。结果表明,低温胁迫下施钼植株电解质渗漏率和丙二醛含量显著降低。施用钼肥提高了冬小麦叶片中抗氧化酶类如超氧化物歧化酶（SOD,EC1．15．1．1）、过氧化物酶（POX,EC1．11．1．7）和过氧化氢酶（CAT,ECl．11．1．6）的活性。低温胁迫下施钼对抗氧化酶（SOD、POX和CAT）活性提高幅度比常温下高。不论常温还是低温下,施铝均提高了冬小麦叶片中抗坏血酸和脯氨酸含量,低温胁迫下提高幅度更大。常温下缺钼和施钼处理后,叶片中类胡萝卜素含量差异不显著;低温下施钼后,冬小麦叶片类胡萝卜素含量显著增加。因此,低温胁迫下施钼植株活性氧清除能力增强、细胞膜伤害减轻可能是冬小麦抗寒力提高的原因之一。     

冬小麦幼苗根系适应土壤干旱的生理学变化

采用盆栽试验对冬小麦幼苗根系适应土壤干旱的生理学变化进行了初步研究。结果表明，随干旱胁迫的加剧，洛麦9133和济麦21幼苗根水势、根相对含水率和根系活力均降低，饱和亏、可溶性糖含量、脯氨酸含量、质膜透性以及SOD、POD活性均呈增加趋势。这说明，在干旱胁迫下，冬小麦幼苗根系通过降低水势、相对含水率和根系活力，增加渗透调节物质可溶性糖、脯氨酸含量和增强SOD、POD活性等生理上的变化以提高抗旱性，从而使冬小麦幼苗适应干旱逆境。     

Cu、Zn对水蕹菜生长的影响及Se的缓解作用

为了解Cu、Zn对水蕹菜生长的影响以及Se缓解Cu、Zn胁迫的效果,本试验以大叶水蕹菜和柳叶水蕹菜为材料,通过营养液栽培,研究了Cu、Zn处理下水蕹菜产量、生理指标和Cu、Zn含量的变化以及Se对Cu、Zn胁迫下水蕹菜生长的影响。结果表明:低浓度Cu、Zn促进水蕹菜生长;高浓度Cu、Zn抑制其生长,表现为根系活力、抗氧化酶活性和净光合速率(Pn)下降,MDA含量增加。Cu、Zn浓度分别为4.00和8.00 mg·L~(-1)时,水蕹菜产量显著下降。Cu对水蕹菜的毒害高于Zn,柳叶水蕹菜的抗氧化能力高于大叶水蕹菜。水蕹菜中Cu、Zn含量随处理浓度的增加而增加。SOD、POD、CAT和脯氨酸在缓解低浓度Cu、Zn毒害中具有协同作用。高浓度Cu、Zn处理时,水蕹菜抗氧化酶活性受到抑制,则以植物络合素(PCs)和脯氨酸的抗氧化作用为主。Se能提高水蕹菜、抗氧化酶活性以及PCs和脯氨酸含量,增强水蕹菜对Cu、Zn的抗性,提高根系活力和Pn,降低MDA的积累,促进水蕹菜生长。当水蕹菜受到轻度Cu、Zn毒害时,5.00 mg·L~(-1)的Se处理缓解效果较好。Se浓度过高会加剧Cu、Zn对水蕹菜的毒害。     

转BADH基因水稻幼苗抗盐性研究

以转甜菜碱醛脱氢酶(BADH)基因水稻品系52-7的受体亲本中花8号、旱作品种开系7和陆稻白珍珠为对照,分别用含0、5、7 g?L-1NaCl的水稻专用营养液培养水稻幼苗,对转BADH基因水稻品系52-7的抗盐性及其机理进行研究.结果表明:在正常培养条件下,转基因水稻幼苗比对照品种长势旺,根系活力强,可溶性糖和叶绿素含量高,抗氧化酶SOD和POD活性高.在盐胁迫条件下,水稻幼苗生长减慢,根冠比值减小,根系活力增强;膜透性和丙二醛(MDA)含量增加,超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)和过氧化物酶(POD)活性提高;脯氨酸和可溶性糖含量升高,叶绿素含量下降,蛋白质分解加强;且随着盐浓度的升高各指标变化幅度增加.与对照品种比较,转基因水稻幼苗在盐胁迫下的生长量和根冠比较大,电解质相对渗出率和MDA含量较低,蛋白质和叶绿素分解较少,表现出较强的抗盐性.盐胁迫下转基因水稻幼苗比对照品种具有更高的脯氨酸和可溶性糖含量以及SOD和POD活性,使其抗盐性强.     

高寒牧草在不同温度和盐胁迫作用下的生理生化响应

测定高寒牧草垂穗披碱草(Elymus nutans)和老芒麦(Elymus sibiricus)幼苗在4 个不同浓度的NaCl 溶液(0、50、150、250 mmol·L–1)与6-15 ℃和15-25 ℃两种温度处理条件下的生理生化反馈机制。结果表明: ①垂穗披碱草随着盐浓度的提高, 可溶性糖含量呈现先低后高的趋势; 在盐浓度为Na50 时, 可溶性糖含量最低, 且不同温度处理对垂穗披碱草可溶性糖含量影响不大; 但在高盐浓度(Na150、Na250)处理下, 温度对幼苗可溶性糖含量影响极显著, 6-15 ℃处理显著提高垂穗披碱草幼苗的可溶性糖含量。②随着盐浓度增加, 两种牧草游离脯氨酸含量均迅速积累, 且15-25 ℃处理下脯氨酸含量显著高于6-15 ℃处理。③除垂穗披碱草在Na250 下SOD 酶活性达到最高外, 垂穗披碱草CAT 活性和老芒麦SOD、CAT 活性均随着盐浓度的增加呈现先增加后降低的趋势。表明在一定盐浓度下, 牧草借助抗氧化酶来清除胁迫产生的活性氧, 但高盐浓度在一定程度上抑制了牧草抗氧化酶活性, 而6-15 ℃温度处理可诱导牧草抗氧化酶活性的提高, 尤其是老芒麦。④盐胁迫导致两种牧草根尖过氧化氢含量和细胞死亡率的增加, 而6-15 ℃温度处理可以降低根尖过氧化氢的积累。两种牧草随盐浓度增加根尖细胞死亡率均有增加的趋势, 但6-15 ℃低温可以有效减轻盐胁迫对根细胞的损伤。     

Applications of ascorbic acid or proline increase resistance to salt stress in barley seedlings

The present study was carried out to examine the effects of seed soaking in 1 mM ascorbic acid (AA) or 1 mM proline on the growth, content of photosynthetic pigments and proline, relative water content, electrolyte leakage, antioxidant enzymes and leaf anatomy of Hordeum vulgare L. Giza 124 seedlings grown in greenhouse under 100 or 200 mM NaCl. The plants exposed to the NaCl stress exhibited a significant reduction in growth, relative water content, leaf photosynthetic pigments, soluble sugars, as well as alterations in leaf anatomy. However, the treatment with AA or proline ameliorated the stress generated by NaCl and improved the above mentioned parameters. NaCl increased electrolyte leakage, proline content, and activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and POX). The antioxidant enzymes and leaf anatomy exhibited considerable changes in response to AA or proline application in the absence or presence of NaCl.     

Role of silicon in enhancing resistance to freezing stress in two contrasting winter wheat cultivars

The main objective of this study was to elucidate the roles of silicon (Si) in enhancing tolerance to freezing stress (?5 °C) in two contrasting wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars: i.e. cv. Yangmai No. 5, a freezing-susceptible cultivar and cv. Linmai No. 2, a freezing-tolerant cultivar. Shoot dry weight of the freezing-susceptible wheat was significantly lower under freezing stress than in controls, but increased significantly with Si amendment. The freezing treatment did not affect shoot dry weight of the freezing-tolerant cultivar. The leaf water content was considerably decreased by freezing stress in the freezing-susceptible cultivar, but was significantly increased by Si amendment. In contrast, freezing treatment did not significantly reduce leaf water content in the freezing-tolerant cultivar and Si played no role in water retention in this cultivar. The concentrations of H₂O₂ and free proline along with malondialdehyde (MDA) were progressively enhanced by freezing stress in the two wheat cultivars used, but were significantly suppressed by amendment with Si. The major antioxidant enzyme activities and non-enzymatic antioxidants (i.e. glutathione and ascorbic acid) in the leaves of freezing-stressed plants were decreased, but were stimulated significantly by the exogenous Si. The possible mechanisms for Si-enhanced freezing stress may be attributed to the higher antioxidant defense activity and lower lipid peroxidation through water retention in leaf tissues.     

Exposure to subfreezing temperature and a freeze-thaw cycle affect freezing tolerance of winter wheat in saturated soil

Winter wheat is sown in the autumn and harvested the following summer, necessitating the ability to survive subfreezing temperatures for several months. Autumn months in wheat-growing regions typically experience significant rainfall and several days or weeks of mild subfreezing temperatures at night, followed by above-freezing temperatures in the day. Hence, the wheat plants usually are first exposed to potentially damaging subfreezing temperatures when they have high moisture content, are growing in very wet soil, and have been exposed to freeze-thaw cycles for a period of time. These conditions are conducive to freezing stresses and plant responses that are different from those that occur under lower moisture conditions without freeze-thaw cycles. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of mild subfreezing temperature and a freeze-thaw cycle on the ability of 22 winter wheat cultivars to tolerate freezing in saturated soil. Seedlings that had been acclimated at +4°C for 5 weeks in saturated soil were frozen to potentially damaging temperatures under three treatment conditions: (1) without any subzero pre-freezing treatment; (2) with a 16-h period at ?3°C prior to freezing to potentially damaging temperatures; and (3) with a freeze-thaw cycle of ?3°C for 24 h followed by +4°C for 24 h, followed by a 16-h period at ?3°C prior to freezing to potentially damaging temperatures. In general, plants that had been exposed to the freeze-thaw cycle survived significantly more frequently than plants frozen under the other two treatments. Plants that had been exposed to 16 h at ?3° (without the freeze-thaw cycle) before freezing to potentially damaging temperatures survived significantly more frequently than plants that were frozen to potentially damaging temperatures without a subzero pre-freezing treatment. These results indicated that cold-acclimated wheat plants actively acclimate to freezing stress while exposed to mild subfreezing temperatures, and further acclimate when allowed to thaw at +4°C for 24 h. The cultivar Norstar had the lowest LT₅₀ (temperature predicted to be lethal to 50% of the plants) of the 22 cultivars when frozen with either of the subzero pre-freezing treatments, but several cultivars had lower LT₅₀ scores than Norstar when frozen without a subzero pre-freezing treatment. We conclude it may be possible to improve winterhardiness of wheat grown in saturated soil by combining the ability to effectively respond to mild subzero pre-freezing temperatures with a greater ability to withstand freezing to damaging temperatures without a subzero pre-freezing exposure.     

增强UV-C辐射作用下小麦和豌豆幼苗光合响应及其相对抗性

以小麦和豌豆为材料,研究了UV-C辐射(波长<280 nm)对叶片光合特性及抗氧化酶活性的影响.结果表明: UV-C辐射增强,可使豌豆叶片光合速率减弱,气孔导度、胞间CO₂浓度、蒸腾速率和羧化效率明显降低,而对小麦叶片上述各项指标的影响则是先增加、后降低;在UV-C辐射下,豌豆的CO₂补偿点逐渐升高,而小麦的CO₂补偿点先降低、后升高.UV-C辐射除了使豌豆的POD活性和小麦的SOD活性逐渐降低外,其他抗氧化酶活性则呈先升高、后降低的变化趋势.小麦对短时间UV-C辐射的抗性比豌豆强,但随着UV-C辐射时间的延长,小麦和豌豆的抗氧化酶活性均降低,光合作用减弱.     

Influence of arbuscular mycorrhiza on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activity of maize plants under temperature stress

The influence of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus, Glomus etunicatum, on characteristics of growth, membrane lipid peroxidation, osmotic adjustment, and activity of antioxidant enzymes in leaves and roots of maize (Zea mays L.) plants was studied in pot culture under temperature stress. The maize plants were placed in a sand and soil mixture under normal temperature for 6 weeks and then exposed to five different temperature treatments (5oC, 15oC, 25oC, 35oC, and 40oC) for 1 week. AM symbiosis decreased membrane relative permeability and malondialdehyde content in leaves and roots. The contents of soluble sugar content and proline in roots were higher, but leaf proline content was lower in mycorrhizal than nonmycorrhizal plants. AM colonization increased the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase in leaves and roots. The results indicate that the AM fungus is capable of alleviating the damage caused by temperature stress on maize plants by reducing membrane lipid peroxidation and membrane permeability and increasing the accumulation of osmotic adjustment compounds and antioxidant enzyme activity. Consequently, arbuscular mycorrhiza formation highly enhanced the extreme temperature tolerance of maize plant, which increased host biomass and promoted plant growth.     

Comparison of response of two C3 species to leaf water relation,proline synthesis,gas exchange and water use under periodic water stress

Water relations, proline content and gas exchange of leaf were investigated under periodic water stress for two C3 plants (eggplant and tomato) in a greenhouse to study comparative adaptive responses. Although both species showed reduced water content of leaf and increased osmolality and proline content under low soil water potential, the recovery capacity after the stress was better in eggplant than tomato. Both species over-accumulated proline under low soil water potential and returned to its initial concentration during the recovery, indicating that proline may act as an osmoprotectant during drought. Proline was directly corresponding with osmolality during stress, and dehydration stress reduced the gas exchange parameters such as transpiration rate (ET), stomatal conductance (GS), and photosynthesis rate (Pn). At the final stage of the experiment both species showed 2.6 and 3.3 times lower Pn and 27 and 19 times lower GS for eggplant and tomato, respectively, as compared to control. But after stress was relieved by rewatering, both plants increased GS for 2 to 3 times and Pn for 4.5 times. Eggplant showed better water use efficiency (WUE) in relation to fruit production under the stress than tomato. Higher biomass allocation at root and fruit parts in eggplant indicated more efficient recovery than that of tomato. These findings inferred that both C3 plants developed internal complementary drought survival mechanism by lowering relative water content, increasing proline, and decreasing stomatal conductance but eggplants withstood the periodic draughting better than tomato, mainly due to its ability to recover from a water stress condition.     

Proline biosynthesis in winter plants due to exposure to low temperatures

The content of bound proline sharply increased in proteins of different organs of young plants of winter rape and winter wheat exposed for 72 h to temperatures from 0 to 2 °C while it decreased only in root tips of wheat plants. Free proline which at 20 °C occurs in all plant organs only in trace amounts, accumulated considerably after 72 h exposure to low temperatures in the above-ground organs and only slightly in the roots. Free proline did not accumulate during the first 24 h at 0 to 2 °C in detached leaves of winter wheat but it was incorporated into newly synthetized proteins in which proline content increased after 6 h incubation to its maximum ( + 11.75% in comparison to control); the content of free glutamate sharply decreased during the first 6 h of incubation and the accumulation of bound glutamate was belated in comparison to that of bound proline. Sucrose infiltrated into detached leaves of winter wheat strongly stimulated proline incorporation into proteins at low temperatures, but it did not influence glutamate incorporation. The results suggest that the main reason for thede novo proline biosynthesis during the first six hours of hardening of the plants is the synthesis of proteins rich in proline; free proline accumulates later predominantly in the above-ground organs as a surplus. The above-ground organs are dehydrated in the course of the hardening process approximately to the same extent both in the light and in the dark, but proline content increases much less in the dark than in tho light.     

Effect of drought on chlorophyll content and antioxidant enzyme activities in leaves of three wheat cultivars varying in productivity

Seedlings of three wheat varieties (Triticum aestivum L.)—highly productive cv. Ballada, moderately productive cv. Belchanka, and low productive cv. Beltskaya—were exposed to progressive soil drought (cessation of watering for 3, 5, and 7 days) and then analyzed for chlorophyll content and activities of ferredoxin-NADP⁺ oxidoreductase (FNR) and antioxidant enzymes, namely, glutathione reductase (GR) and ascorbate peroxidase (AscP). In addition, the proline content, and the extent of lipid peroxidation were examined. In the first period of water limitation, the water loss from leaves was slight for all wheat cultivars, which is characteristic of drought-resistant varieties. After 7-day drought the leaf water content decreased by 5.2–6.8%. The total chlorophyll content expressed per unit dry weight increased insignificantly during the first two periods of drought but decreased by 13–15% later on. This decrease was not accompanied by changes in chlorophyll a/b ratio. The plant dehydration did not induce significant changes in FNR activity. Activities of GR and AscP in leaves of wheat cultivars Ballada and Belchanka increased on the 3rd and 5th days of drought. Owing to the coordinated increase in GR and AscP activities, the lipid peroxidation rate remained at nearly the control level observed in water-sufficient plants. When the dehydration period was prolonged to 7 days, activities of GR and AscP in wheat cultivars reduced in parallel with the increase in malonic dialdehyde (MDA) content, indicating that the antioxidant enzyme defense system was weakened and lipid peroxidation enhanced. Unlike Ballada and Belchanka, the wheat cv. Beltskaya did not exhibit the increase in GR and AscP activities during progressive soil drought. The increase in MDA content by 16% in this cultivar was only observed after a 7-day drought period. The proline content in leaves of all wheat cultivars increased substantially during drought treatment. Thus, in wheat cultivars examined, different responses of the defense systems were mobilized to implement plant protection against water stress. The activities of antioxidant enzyme defense system depended on wheat cultivar, duration of drought, and the stage of leaf development.