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Lycopersicon esculentum under low temperature stress: an approach toward enhanced antioxidants and yield

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 22, pages 14178–14188 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

Brassinosteroids (BRs) have been implicated to overcome various abiotic stresses, and low temperature stress poses a serious threat to productivity of various horticultural crops like tomato. Therefore, a study was conducted to unravel the possible role of BRs in conferring alleviation to low temperature stress in Lycopersicon esculentum. Twenty-day-old seedlings of tomato var. S-22 (chilling tolerant) and PKM-1 (chilling sensitive) were sown in earthen pots, and at 40 days stage of growth, plants were exposed to varied levels of low temperatures (10/3, 12/7, 20/14, or 25/18 °C) for 24 h in a growth chamber. At 50 days stage of growth, the foliage of plants were sprayed with 0 or 10−8 M of BRs (28-homobrassinolide or 24-epibrassinolide), and 60-day-old plants were harvested to assess various physiological and biochemical parameters. Low temperatures induced a significant reduction in growth traits, chlorophyll content, and rate of photosynthesis in both the varieties differentially. Activities of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase) and leaf proline content also increased substantially in both the varieties with decreasing temperature. On the other hand, treatment of BRs under stress and stress-free conditions significantly increased the aforesaid growth traits and biochemical parameters. Moreover, BRs further accelerated the antioxidative enzymes and proline content, which were already enhanced by the low temperature stress. Out of the two analogues of BRs tested, 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) was found more effective for both the varieties of tomato. EBL was found more potent stress alleviator against low temperature in both varieties of tomato.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support provided by the Council of Science and Technology, Uttar Pradesh [Project No. CST/D-615], India, to carry out this study.

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Affiliations

  1. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Section, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 202002, India

    Tanveer Alam Khan, Qazi Fariduddin & Mohammad Yusuf

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  1. Tanveer Alam Khan
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  2. Qazi Fariduddin
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  3. Mohammad Yusuf
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Correspondence to Qazi Fariduddin.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Khan, T.A., Fariduddin, Q. & Yusuf, M. Lycopersicon esculentum under low temperature stress: an approach toward enhanced antioxidants and yield. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 14178–14188 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4658-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4658-5

Keywords

  • Brassinosteroids
  • Low temperature
  • Lycopersicon esculentum
  • Lycopene
  • Photosynthesis and proline