Abstract
This study aims to elucidate the effects of abscisic acid (ABA) foliar application on plant hardening during ex vitro acclimatization using a forest model species Ulmus minor L. Plant leaves were sprayed with ABA (0, 50 and 100 μM) immediately after ex vitro transfer and twice a week for the first 3 weeks of acclimatization. After this period, parameters related with photosynthesis, hormone levels and oxidative stress were measured to assess plant performance. The results demonstrated that ABA foliar application alleviates the negative shock of ex vitro acclimatization since it reduces the water loss through transpiration, relieving the risk of wilting. Moreover, ABA promoted net CO2 assimilation rate (P N ) and plant dry mater accumulation. ABA treatment increased the antioxidant battery during acclimatization, with more effective results at the concentration of 50 μM ABA. Also, flow cytometry data support that cytosolic compounds, which may increase in response to 50 μM ABA, could also protect DNA from oxidative damage. We propose here that ABA foliar application (immediately after ex vitro transfer), by preventing water loss, enhancing photosynthesis efficiency and the activity of antioxidant enzymes, improves the plants hardening and ability to deal with the ex vitro stresses.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agarwal S, Sairam RK, Scrivastava GC, Meena RC (2005) Changes in antioxidant enzymes activity and oxidative stress by abscisic acid and salicylic acid in wheat genotypes. Biol Plant 49:541–550
Aguilar ML, Espadas FL, Coello J, Maust BE, Trejo C, Robert ML, Santamaria JM (2000) The role of abscisic acid in controlling leaf water loss, survival and growth of micropropagated Tagetes erecta plants when transferred directly to the field. J Exp Bot 51:1861–1866
Amaral da Silva EA, Toorop PE, Van Lammeren AAM, Hilhorst HWM (2008) ABA inhibits embryo cell expansion and early cell division events during coffee (Coffea arabica ‘Rubi’) seed germination. Ann Bot 102:425–433
Aroca R, Vernieri P, Ruiz-Lozano JM (2008) Mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Lactuca sativa plants exhibit contrasting responses to exogenous ABA during drought stress and recovery. J Exp Bot 59:2029–2041
Ashraf M, Foolad MR (2007) Roles of glycine betaine and proline in improving plant abiotic stress resistance. Environ Exp Bot 59:206–216
Baťková P, Pospíšilová J, Synková H (2008) Production of reactive oxygen species and development of antioxidative systems during in vitro growth and ex vitro transfer. Biol Plant 52:413–442
Beck EH, Fettig S, Knake C, Hartig K, Bhattarai T (2007) Specific and unspecific responses of plants to cold and drought stress. J Bios 32:501–510
Beers RF, Sizer IW (1952) A spectrophotometric method for measuring the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide by catalase. J Biol Chem 195:133–140
Bradford MM (1976) A rapid and sensitive method for the quantiation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem 72:248–254
Bray EA (2002) Abscisic acid regulation of gene expression during water-deficit stress in the era of the Arabidopsis genome. Plant, Cell Environ 25:153–161
Brito G, Loureiro J, Lopes T, Santos C (2008) Genetic characterisation of olive trees from Madeira Archipelago using flow cytometry and microsatellite markers. Genet Resour Crop Evol 55(5):657–664
Chaum S, Puthea O, Kirdmanee C (2009) An effective in vitro acclimatization using uniconazole treatments and ex-vitro adaptation of Phalaenopsis orchid. Sci Hort 121:468–473
Chaves MM, Maroco JP, Pereira JS (2003) Review: understanding plant responses to drought—from genes to the whole plant. Funct Plant Biol 30:239–264
Chen THH, Gusta LV (1983) Abscisic acid-induced freezing resistance in cultured plant cells. Plant Physiol 73:71–75
Conde P, Loureiro J, Santos C (2004) Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration from leaves of Ulmus minor Mill. Plant Cell Rep 22:632–639
Conde P, Sousa A, Costa A, Santos C (2008) A protocol for Ulmus minor Mill. micropropagation and acclimatization. Plant Cell Tiss Org Cult 92:113–119
de Souza TC, Magalhães PC, Castro EM, Albuquerque PEP, Marabesi MA (2013) The influence of ABA on water relation, photosynthesis parameters, and chlorophyll fluorescence under drought conditions in two maize hybrids with contrasting drought resistance. Acta Physiol Plant 35:515–527
Dhindsa RS, Plumbdhindsa P, Thorpe TA (1981) Leaf senescence correlated with increased levels of membrane permeability and lipid peroxidation, and decreased levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase. J Exp Bot 32:93–101
Dias MC, Brüggemann W (2007) Photosynthesis under drought stress in Flaveria species with different degrees of development of the C4 syndrome. Photosynthetica 45:75–84
Dias MC, Pinto G, Santos C (2011) Acclimatization of micro propagated plantlets induces an antioxidative burst: a case study with Ulmus minor Mill. Photosynthetica 49:259–266
Dias MC, Monteiro C, Moutinho-Pereira J, Correia C, Gonçalves B, Santos C (2012) Cadmium toxicity affects photosynthesis and plant growth at different levels. Acta Physiol Plantarum 35:1281–1289
Dias MC, Pinto G, Correia C, Moutinho-Pereira J, Silva S, Santos C (2013a) Photosynthetic parameters of Ulmus minor plantlets affected by irradiance during acclimatization. Biol Plantarum 57:33–40
Dias MC, Pinto G, Guerra C, Jesus C, Amaral J, Santos C (2013b) Effect of irradiance during acclimatization on content of proline and phytohormones in micropropagated Ulmus minor. Biol Plantarum 57:769–772
Duan B, Yang Y, Lu Y, Korpelainen H, Berninger F, Li C (2007) Interactions between water deficit, ABA and proven nces in Picea asperata. J Exp Bot 58:3025–3036
Durgbanshi A, Arbona V, Pozo O, Miersch O, Sancho JV, Gómez-Cadenas A (2005) Simultaneous determination of multiple phytohormones in plant extracts by liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. J Agr Food Chem 53:8437–8442
Efetova M, Zeier J, Riederer M, Lee CW, Stingl N, Mueller M, Hartung W, Hedrich R, Deeken R (2007) A central role of abscisic acid in drought stress protection of Agrobacterium-induced tumors on Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol 145:853–862
FAO (1999) State of the World′s Forests
Gichner T, Patkova Z, Szakova J, Demnerova K (2006) Toxicity and DNA damage in tobacco and potato plants growing on soil polluted with heavy metals. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 65:420–426
Gichner T, Patkova Z, Szakova J, Znidar I, Mukherjee A (2008) DNA damage in potato plants induced by cadmium, ethyl methanesulphonate and gamma-rays. Environ Exp Bot 62:113–119
Gill SS, Tuteja N (2010) Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant machinery in abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants. Plant Physiol Biochem 48:909–930
Guschina IA, Harwood JL, Smith M, Beckett RP (2002) Abscisic acid modifies the changes in lipids brought about by water stress in the moss Atrichum androgynum. New Phyto 156:255–264
Gusta LV, Trischuk R, Weiser CJ (2005) Plant cold acclimation: role of abscisic acid. J Plant Growth Regul 24:308–318
Hall HK, McWha JA (1981) Effects of abscisic acid on growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Ann Bot 47:427–433
Hamid HA, Khaedr A, Mohammad AA, Amal AA, Paul Quick W, Abogadallah M (2003) Proline induces the expression of salt-stress-responsive proteins and may improve the adoption of Pancratium maritimum L. to salt stress. J Exp Bot 54:2553–2562
Hazarika BN (2006) Morpho-physiological disorders in in vitro culture of plants. Sci Hort 108:105–120
Lopes T, Pinto G, Loureiro J, Santos C (2006) Determination of genetic stability in long-term somatic embryogenic cultures and derived plantlets of cork oak using microsatellite markers. Tree Physiol 26:1145–1152
Loureiro J, Capelo A, Brito G, Santos C (2007a) Micropropagation of Juniperus phoenicea from adult plant explants and analysis of ploidy stability using flow cytometry. Biol Plant 51:7–14
Loureiro J, Rodriguez E, Costa A, Santos C (2007b) Nuclear DNA content estimations in wild olive (Olea europaea L. ssp europaea var. sylvestris Brot.) and Portuguese cultivars of O. europaea using flow cytometry. Ann Bot 4:875–888
Loureiro J, Rodriguez E, Gomes A, Santos C (2007c) Genome size estimations on Ulmus minor Mill., Ulmus glabra Huds., and Celtis australis L. using flow cytometry. Plant Biol 9:541–544
Lutts S, Kinet JM, Bouharmont J (1996) NaCl-induced senescence in leaves of rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars differing in salinity resistance. Ann Bot 78:389–398
Mittler R (2002) Oxidative stress, antioxidants, and stress tolerance. Ternds Plant Sci 7:405–410
Monteiro MS, Rodriguez E, Loureiro J, Mann RM, Soares AMVM, Santos C (2010) Flow cytometric assessment of Cd genotoxicity in three plants with different metal accumulation and detoxification capacities. Ecot Environ Saf 73:1231–1237
Monteiro C, Santos C, Pinho S, Oliveira H, Pedrosa T, Dias MC (2012) Cadmium-induced cyto- and genotoxicity are organ-dependent in lettuce. Chem Res Toxi 25:1423–1434
Nakano Y, Asada K (1981) Hydrogen peroxide is scavenged by ascorbate-specific peroxidase in spinach chloroplasts. Plant Cell Physiol 22:867–880
Nas MN, Read P (2004) Improved rooting and acclimatization of micropropagated hazelnut shoots. HortScience 39:1688–1690
Osório ML, Osório J, Romano A (2010) Chlorophyll fluorescence in micropropagated Rhododendron ponticum subsp. baeticum plants in response to different irradiances. Biol Plant 54:415–422
Osório ML, Gonçalves S, Coelho N, Osório J, Romano A (2013) Morphological, physiological and oxidative stress markers during acclimatization and field transfer of micropropagated Tuberaria major plants. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 115:85–97
Pinto G, Silva S, Loureiro J, Costa A, Dias MC, Araujo C, Neves L, Santos C (2011) Acclimatization of secondary somatic embryos derived plants of Eucalyptus globulus Labill.: an ultrastructural approach. Trees 25:383–392
Pospíšilová J, Wilhelmová N, Synková H, Čatský J, Krebs D, Tichá I, Hanáčková B, Snopek J (1998) Acclimation of tobacco plantlets to ex vitro conditions as affected by application of Abscisic acid. J Exp Bot 49:863–869
Pospíšilová J, Haisel D, Synková H, Čatský J, Wilhelmová N, Plzáková Š, Procházková D, Šrámek F (2000) Photosynthetic pigments and gas exchange during ex vitro acclimation of tobacco plants as affected by CO2 supply and abscisic acid. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 61:125–133
Pospíšilová J, Synková H, Haisel D, Baťková P (2009) Effect of abscisic acid on photosynthetic parameters during ex vitro transfer of micropropagated tobacco plantlets. Biol Plant 53:11–20
Reddy AR, Chaitanya KV, Vivekanandan M (2004) Drought-induced responses of photosynthesis and antioxidant metabolism in higher plants. J Plant Physiol 161:1189–1202
Rodriguez E, Azevedo R, Fernandes P, Santos C (2011) Cr(VI) induces DNA damage, cell cycle arrest and polyploidization: a flow cytometric and comet assay study in Pisum sativum. Chem Res Toxi 24:1040–1047
Santamaría JM, Davies WJ, Atkinson CJ (1993) Stomata of micropropagated Delphinium plants respond to ABA, CO2, light and water potential, but fail to close fully. J Exp Bot 44:99–107
Santos C, Falcao I, Pinto G, Loureiro J (2002) Nutrient responses and glutamate and proline metabolism in sunflower plants and calli under Na2SO4 stress. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 165:366–372
Sgherri CLM, Loggini B, Puliga S, Navari-Izzo F (1994) Antioxidant system in Sporobolus stapfianus: changes in response to desiccation and rehydration. Phytochemistry 33:561–565
Silva S, Pinto G, Correia B, Pinto-Carnide O, Santos C (2013) Rye oxidative stress under long term Al exposure. J Plant Physiol 170:879–889
Sims DA, Gamon JA (2002) Relationships between leaf pigment content and spectral reflectance across a wide range of species, leaf structures and developmental stages. Rem Sen Environ 81:337–354
Swiatek A, Lenjou M, Van Bockstaele D, Inzé D, Van Onckelen H (2002) Differential effect of jasmonic acid and abscisic acid on cell cycle progression in tobacco BY-2 cells. Plant Physiol 128:201–211
Synková H, Pospíšilová J (2002) In vitro precultivation of tobacco affects the response of antioxidative enzymes to ex vitro acclimation. J Plant Physiol 159:781–789
Ueno O (1998) Induction of Kranz Anatomy and C4-like Biochemical. Characteristics in a submerged amphibious plant by abscisic acid. Plant Cell 10:571–583
Van Kooten O, Snel JFH (1990) The use of chlorophyll fluorescence nomenclature in plant stress physiology. Photo Res 25:147–150
Von Caemmerer S, Farquhar GD (1981) Some relationships between the biochemistry of photosynthesis and the gas exchange of leaves. Planta 153:376–387
Wang C, Fan X, Wang G, Niu J, Zhou B (2011) Differential expression of rubisco in sporophytes and gametophytes of some marine macroalgae. PLoS ONE 6:e16351
Wasilewska A, Vlad F, Sirichandra C, Redko Y, Jammes F, Valona C (2008) An update on abscisic acid signaling in plants and more. Mol Plant 1:198–217
Yoshida K, Igarashi E, Mukai M, Hirata K, Miyamoto K (2003) Induction of tolerance to oxidative stress in the green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, by abscisic acid. Plant Cell Environ 26:451–458
Zeevaarl JAD, Creelman RA (1988) Metabolism and physiology of abscisic acid. Ann Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 39:439–473
Zhang J, Jia W, Yang J, Ismail AM (2006) Role of ABA in integrating plant responses to drought and salt stresses. Field Crops Res 97:111–119
Zhang KM, Yu HJ, Zhou YH, Yu JQ, Xia XJ (2010) Photoprotective roles of anthocyanins in Begonia semperflorens. Plant Sci 179:202–208
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through a post-doctoral fellowship of M. C. Dias (SFRH/BPD/41700/2007) and H. Oliveira (SFRH/BPD/48853/2008).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dias, M.C., Correia, C., Moutinho-Pereira, J. et al. Study of the effects of foliar application of ABA during acclimatization. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 117, 213–224 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-014-0434-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-014-0434-3