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Photosynthetic responses of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to combined effects of drought and exogenous methyl jasmonate

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

Drought stress limits wheat growth and productivity. The response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to different water supply conditions (well-watered and drought-stressed) and exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA; 0 and 0.25 μM) was studied. The application of MeJA enhanced wheat adaptability to drought stress by physiological and metabolic adjustments. Drought stress reduced net photosynthetic rate (P N), stomatal conductance (g s), transpiration rate (E), and water-use efficiency (WUE) in wheat. The application of exogenous MeJA decreased also g s and E, but stimulated WUE. Meanwhile, MeJA mitigated the decline of P N, g s, and WUE induced by drought stress and midday depression by 6–183%. Both drought stress and exogenous MeJA induced stomatal closure, which improved water status and delayed plant senescence. MeJA enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and reduced malondialdehyde content. P N-PAR response curves showed that MeJA mitigated the decline of maximum P N, apparent quantum yield, and saturation irradiance, and the increase of compensation irradiance. Drought stress and exogenous MeJA increased dark respiration rate and showed an additive effect. These results indicated that 0.25 μM MeJA enhanced the photosynthesis under drought stress mainly by improving the water status and antioxidant capacity of wheat.

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Abbreviations

AA:

ascorbic acid

ANOVA :

analysis of variance

CAT:

catalase

DS:

drought-stress treatment

DS+MJ:

drought stress plus 0.25 μM MeJA treatment

E :

transpiration rate

F M :

ANOVA of MeJA treatment

F W :

ANOVA of water treatment

F W×M :

ANOVA together with interactions between water and MeJA treatments

g s :

stomatal conductance

I c :

compensation irradiance

I s :

saturation irradiance

JA:

jasmonic acid

L T :

leaf temperature

MDA:

malondialdehyde

MeJA:

methyl jasmonate

MJ:

0.25 μM MeJA treatment

P max :

maximum net photosynthetic rate

P N :

net photosynthetic rate

POD:

peroxidase

R:

roots

R D :

dark respiration rate

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

S:

shoots

S1:

flag leaf stage

S2:

flowering stage

S3:

filling stage

S4:

ripening stage

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

WUE:

water-use efficiency

WW:

well watered plants

ψw :

leaf water potential

ϕ:

apparent quantum yield

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China

    C. Ma, Z. Q. Wang, L. T. Zhang, M. M. Sun & T. B. Lin

  2. College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, China

    C. Ma

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  1. C. Ma
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  2. Z. Q. Wang
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  3. L. T. Zhang
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  5. T. B. Lin
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Correspondence to T. B. Lin.

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Acknowledgements: This research was supported National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1204314), National Science and Technology Support Program (2013BAC09B01) and Fund of Henan University of Science and Technology (09001814). We are grateful to Dr Zeyu Xin for constructive criticism and suggestions for this paper.

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Ma, C., Wang, Z.Q., Zhang, L.T. et al. Photosynthetic responses of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to combined effects of drought and exogenous methyl jasmonate. Photosynthetica 52, 377–385 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-014-0041-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-014-0041-x

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