103(1)_str13

ISSN 1392-3196 / e-ISSN 2335-8947
Zemdirbyste-Agriculture, vol. 103, No. 1 (2016), p. 99–106
DOI 10.13080/z-a.2016.103.013

Responses of pea plants to heat stress and spermine treatment

Dessislava TODOROVA, Zornitsa KATEROVA, Elena SHOPOVA, Milda JODINSKIENE, Sigita JURKONIENE, Iskren SERGIEV

Abstract

The effects of high temperature and the polyamine spermine on the physiological and biochemical status of garden pea plants were investigated. The plants were preliminary treated with 1 mM spermine and 24 h later were subjected for 48 h to conditions with daily temperature up to 38°C. High temperature stress caused more than 20% decrease of leaf pigments content and significant suppression of net photosynthesis rate. An enhanced level of lipid peroxidation was observed in leaves suggesting that oxidative stress occurred. A decrease in the content of free proline, total phenolics, and hydrogen peroxide accompanied by an increase of the activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and guaiacol peroxidase was established in plants subjected to high temperature. The harmful physiological effects of high temperature were alleviated by spraying the plants with spermine. The preliminary application of spermine retarded leaf pigment loss and maintained photosynthetic rate and antioxidant enzyme activities, as well as content of non-enzymatic antioxidants.

Key words: antioxidant enzymes, high temperature stress, photosynthesis, Pisum sativum, polyamine, stress markers.

Full text: 103_1_str13.pdf