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Effects of cytokinin on photosynthetic gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and antioxidative system in seedlings of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) under salinity stress

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Abstract

The effects of 6-benzyladenine (6-BA) on plant growth, photosynthetic gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and antioxidant systems of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) under salt stress were investigated. Eggplant seedlings were exposed to 90 mM NaCl with four levels of 6-BA (5, 10, 20 and 50 μM) for 10 days. 6-BA at lower concentrations increased chlorophyll concentration, the net photosynthetic rate (P N), stomatal conductance (g s), and transpiration rate (E), intercellular CO2 concentration (C i) and water use efficiency (WUE), as well as the quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII), photochemical quenching (q p), and decreased non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), while higher concentrations reduced the effects or even exacerbated the occurrence of photosynthetic capacity. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) increased significantly during salt treatments, and induced the increase of the activities of these enzymes at certain concentrations of 6-BA. 6-BA also reduced significantly malonaldehyde (MDA) contents and O ·−2 production. It was concluded that 6-BA could alleviate the detrimental effects of salt stress on plant growth by increasing photosynthetic efficiency and enhancing antioxidant enzyme systems in leaves at a proper concentration and of the varying 6-BA concentrations used, the most effective concentration for promoting growth was 10 μM under saline conditions.

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Abbreviations

ABA:

Abscisic acid

APX:

Ascorbate peroxidase

6-BA:

6-Benzyladenine

CAT:

Catalase

C i :

Intercellular CO2 concentration

CTK:

Cytokinin

F m :

Maximal fluorescence

F v :

Variable fluorescence

g s :

Stomatal conductance

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

NBT:

Nitrotetrazolium blue chloride

NPQ:

Non-photochemical quenching

O ·−2 :

Superoxide anion radical

P N :

Net photosynthetic rate

POD:

Peroxidase

ΦPSII:

Relative quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

q p :

Photochemical quenching coefficient

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

E :

Transpiration rate

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (No. ZR1426800) and Shanghai Municipal Committee of Agriculture (2009-2-1).

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  1. Horticultural Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Protected Horticultural Technology, 201106, Shanghai, China

    Xuexia Wu, Zongwen Zhu, Xian Li & Dingshi Zha

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  1. Xuexia Wu
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  2. Zongwen Zhu
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Correspondence to Dingshi Zha.

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Communicated by Z.-L. Zhang.

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Wu, X., Zhu, Z., Li, X. et al. Effects of cytokinin on photosynthetic gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and antioxidative system in seedlings of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) under salinity stress. Acta Physiol Plant 34, 2105–2114 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-012-1010-2

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