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Exogenous gamma-aminobutyric acid increases salt tolerance of wheat by improving photosynthesis and enhancing activities of antioxidant enzymes

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Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid that accumulates in a number of plant species under various environmental stresses. In this paper, the ability of applied GABA for the alleviation of NaCl stress was investigated in view of growth parameters, gas exchange, photosynthetic pigments, chlorophyll fluorescence, activities of antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and electrolyte conductivity (REC) in wheat seedlings. Germination rate and shoot dry mass decreased with an increasing NaCl concentration and this decrease was less pronounced when 0.5 mM GABA was applied. In the NaCl-treated seedlings, exogenous GABA partially enhanced photosynthetic capacity and antioxidant enzyme activities and decreased MDA content and REC. Therefore, GABA reduced the impact of salinity on the wheat seedlings.

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Abbreviations

ΦPSII :

actual photosystem II efficiency

CAT:

catalase, Chl-chlorophyll

ci :

intercellular CO2 concentration

E:

transpiration rate

EDTA:

ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

Fm :

maximum fluorescence induction

Fv :

variable fluorecence

GABA:

γ-aminobutyric acid

gS :

stomatal conductance

MDA:

malondialdehyde

NPQ:

non-photochemical quenching

PN :

net photosynthesis rate

PS:

photosystem

Rc:

electric conductivity

REC:

relative electrolyte conductivity

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

WUE:

water use efficiency

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Science, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, 252000, P.R. China

    M. F. Li, S. J. Guo & X. J. Wei

  2. College of Life Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 211018, P.R. China

    X. H. Yang & Q. W. Meng

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  1. M. F. Li
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  2. S. J. Guo
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  3. X. H. Yang
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  4. Q. W. Meng
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  5. X. J. Wei
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Acknowledgement: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (No. 30271242) and the foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology (2014KF08).

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Li, M.F., Guo, S.J., Yang, X.H. et al. Exogenous gamma-aminobutyric acid increases salt tolerance of wheat by improving photosynthesis and enhancing activities of antioxidant enzymes. Biol Plant 60, 123–131 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-015-0559-1

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