Abstract
Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is an economically important nut crop that is prone to drought stress since it is mainly produced in arid and semi-arid regions. Considering the possible impact of salicylic acid (SA) on drought tolerance of pistachio, several physiological and biochemical responses of pistachio seedlings to foliar application of SA under progressive drought treatment were investigated. Application of SA increased the content of pigments, chlorophyll, and carotenoids, and improved the accumulation of osmolytes such as proline and total soluble carbohydrates leading to preserve photosynthetic apparatus and relative water content. Moreover, SA application reduced the drought-induced levels of H2O2 and lipid peroxidation in pistachio seedlings by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes. According to our findings, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase play a major role in the antioxidative salicylic acid-induced defense against oxidative stress in pistachio. Taken together, our results show that the foliar application of SA could significantly enhance drought tolerance of pistachio seedlings through protecting photosynthetic apparatus, improving osmoregulation, and inducing the antioxidant defense system.
Zusammenfassung
Die Pistazie (Pistacia vera L.) ist eine wirtschaftlich wichtige Nusspflanze, die anfällig für Trockenstress ist, da sie hauptsächlich in ariden und semi-ariden Regionen angebaut wird. Unter Berücksichtigung des möglichen Einflusses von Salicylsäure (SA) auf die Trockenheitstoleranz von Pistazien wurden verschiedene physiologische und biochemische Reaktionen von Pistaziensämlingen auf die Blattapplikation von SA unter fortschreitendem Trockenstress untersucht. Die Anwendung von SA erhöhte den Gehalt an Pigmenten, Chlorophyll und Carotinoiden und verbesserte die Anreicherung von Osmolyten wie Prolin und den Gesamtgehalt löslicher Kohlenhydrate, was zur Erhaltung des Photosyntheseapparats und des relativen Wassergehalts führte. Darüber hinaus reduzierte die Anwendung von SA die durch Trockenheit induzierte Menge an H2O2 und die Lipidperoxidation in Pistaziensämlingen, indem die Aktivität von antioxidativen Enzymen erhöht wurde. Unsere Untersuchungen haben gezeigt, dass Ascorbatperoxidase und Glutathionreduktase eine wichtige Rolle bei der durch antioxidative Salicylsäure induzierten Abwehr gegen oxidativen Stress bei Pistazien spielen. Zusammengefasst zeigen unsere Ergebnisse, dass die Blattapplikation von SA die Trockenheitstoleranz von Pistaziensämlingen durch den Schutz des Photosyntheseapparats, die Verbesserung der Osmoregulation und die Induktion des antioxidativen Abwehrsystems signifikant verbessern kann.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the research and technology deputy of the University of Tehran. The authors would like to thank Dr. Richard Morton (Department of Biology, McMaster University) for the critical reading of this manuscript.
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S. Reyhani Haghighi, V. Hosseininaveh, R. Maali-Amiri, K. Talebi and S. Irani declare that they have no competing interests.
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Figure S1. Experimental design and implementation of treatments. Figure S2. Three independent biological experiments replicate at different dates in three replicates. Figure S3. Graph of midday leaf water potential data.
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Reyhani Haghighi, S., Hosseininaveh, V., Maali-Amiri, R. et al. Improving the Drought Tolerance in Pistachio (Pistacia vera) Seedlings by Foliar Application of Salicylic Acid. Gesunde Pflanzen 73, 495–507 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-021-00569-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-021-00569-z