Antioxidative defenses and water deficit-induced oxidative damage in rice (Oryza sativa L.) growing on non-flooded paddy soils with ground mulching

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation under non-flooded conditions using polyethylene film as ground mulching materials, namely plastic film-mulching cultivation system (PFMCS), is an alternative to the conventional rice cultivation system in regions where rainfall and fresh water resources are limited. Two-year field trials (1998–1999) were performed in this study to investigate the growth-stage-dependent changes in activities of antioxidative enzymes and lipid peroxidation in leaves of rice subjected to mulching with plastic film or kraft paper and zero mulching under non-flooded conditions compared with continuously flooded treatment. Significantly higher activities of peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) but lower concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) were observed in mulching treatments than in zero mulching treatment at all growth stages in the drier growing season (1999). The concentration of MDA was significantly higher especially at late growth stages in zero mulching treatment than in the other treatments. In contrast, essentially no significant difference existed in the activities of the major antioxidant enzymes (except POD) or in the concentration of MDA between any two treatments in the wetter growing season (1998). This change tendency of antioxidant enzyme activity and MDA level over two contrasting growing seasons was in line with both soil and leaf moisture status, and rice yields of different treatments. These results strongly suggest that plastic film-mulching treatment or paper mulching treatment significantly alleviated oxidative damages induced by water-deficit stress in rice. The efficacy of ground-mulching-induced enhancement of antioxidative defense to drought stress is discussed with respect to water deficit status in both soils and rice plants.