Hitherto studies on the synthesis of trehalose derivatives and their effects on plants have not been explored. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to perform a foliar application of trehalose and its derivatives and assess their role in mitigating drought effects in maize plants. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, using BRS 1030, a maize hybrid sensitive to water deficit. Water deficit was imposed for 12 days and the foliar application of the trehalose or a mixture of trehalose derivatives (28 mM) was performed on the first and fifth days of stress. The activity of antioxidant enzymes and the photosynthetic efficiency of Photosystem II were evaluated at 12 days of water deficit (WD), and 12 h after rehydration (RH). Reducing sugars, total soluble sugars, starch, and proline content were assessed at the end of the water deficit. Both trehalose and the mixture of trehalose derivatives influenced physiological responses in maize. The observed effects and their possible causes were hereby explored. Increased levels of soluble sugars, proline, and enzymatic antioxidant activity were observed in maize leaves under water deficit upon application of trehalose and its derivatives. Trehalose derivatives led to a more efficient response regarding proline accumulation and antioxidant activity than trehalose per se, and thus a higher photosynthetic efficiency. The foliar application of trehalose and its derivatives promoted biochemical responses in maize plants under water deficit. Henceforward, trehalose derivatives showed potential as biostimulants. Nevertheless, further studies should be performed to verify the effects of the new trehalose derivatives on the field.

迄今为止，尚未探索海藻糖衍生物的合成及其对植物的影响的研究。因此，本研究的目的是对海藻糖及其衍生物进行叶面施用，并评估其在缓解玉米植物干旱影响中的作用。该实验是使用BRS 1030在温室中进行的，BRS 1030是对缺水敏感的玉米杂交种。缺水持续12天，在胁迫的第一天和第五天进行叶面施用海藻糖或海藻糖衍生物混合物（28 mM）。在缺水12天（WD）和补液后12 h（RH）评估抗氧化剂酶的活性和Photosystem II的光合作用效率。在缺水结束时评估还原糖，总可溶性糖，淀粉和脯氨酸的含量。海藻糖和海藻糖衍生物的混合物都影响玉米的生理反应。因此，探索了观察到的效果及其可能的原因。在施用海藻糖及其衍生物的情况下，在缺水的玉米叶片中观察到可溶性糖，脯氨酸和酶促抗氧化活性的增加。与海藻糖本身相比，海藻糖衍生物对脯氨酸的积累和抗氧化活性的响应更有效，因此光合效率更高。在缺水条件下，海藻糖及其衍生物的叶面施用促进了玉米植株的生化反应。因此，海藻糖衍生物显示出作为生物刺激剂的潜力。然而，应该进行进一步的研究以验证新的海藻糖衍生物对该领域的影响。