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Physiological responses of somaclonal variants of triploid bermudagrass (Cynodon transvaalensis × Cynodon dactylon) to drought stress

  • Biotic and Abiotic Stress
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Abstract

Eight somaclonal variants with enhanced drought tolerance were isolated from regenerated plants of triploid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon × Cynodon transvaalensis cv., TifEagle). Three of them (10-17, 89-02, 117-08) with strong drought tolerance were selected for investigations of physiological responses to drought stress. Compared to the parent control, TifEagle, the somaclonal variants had higher relative water contents and relative growth, and lower ion leakages in the greenhouse tests, while no difference in evapotranspirational water losses and soil water contents was observed between the variants and TifEagle. The variants also had less leaf firing in the field tests under drought stress. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities decreased gradually in responses to drought stress in all plants and exhibited negative correlations with ion leakage, indicating that the declined activities of these antioxidant enzymes were associated with drought injury in the triploid bermudagrass. However, CAT activities were significantly higher in all three variants than in TifEagle during drought stress. Two variants, 10-17 and 89-02, also had significantly higher APX activities than TifEagle before and during the first 4 days of drought treatments. These two lines also showed higher SOD activities after prolonged drought stress. Proline, total soluble sugars and sucrose were accumulated under drought stress in all plants and exhibited positive correlations with ion leakage. More proline and sugars were accumulated in TifEagle than in the variants. The results indicated that higher activities of the antioxidant enzymes in the variants during drought stress are associated with their increased drought tolerance.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by grants from the National Basic Research Programs of China (2007CB108905), the Natural Science Foundation of China (30371014, 30671478) and Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (06025818).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biotechnology Laboratory for Turfgrass and Forages, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, 510642, Guangzhou, China

    Shaoyun Lu, Chuanhao Chen, Zhongcheng Wang & Zhenfei Guo

  2. College of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, 510631, Guangzhou, China

    Haihang Li

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  1. Shaoyun Lu
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  2. Chuanhao Chen
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  3. Zhongcheng Wang
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  4. Zhenfei Guo
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  5. Haihang Li
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Correspondence to Zhenfei Guo.

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Communicated by A. Feher.

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Lu, S., Chen, C., Wang, Z. et al. Physiological responses of somaclonal variants of triploid bermudagrass (Cynodon transvaalensis × Cynodon dactylon) to drought stress. Plant Cell Rep 28, 517–526 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-008-0649-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-008-0649-z

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