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Influence of rootstock on antioxidant system in leaves and roots of young apple trees in response to drought stress

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Abstract

Grafting rootstocks are widely used to enhance plants resistance to various biologic and abiotic stresses. We determined how the rootstock genotype might influence plant responses to drought, using 2-year-old ‘Gale Gala’ apple trees grafted onto Malus sieversii and M. hupehensis. Under water stress, trees with the former as their rootstock had smaller reductions in rates of relative growth and photosynthesis, total biomass, leaf area, levels of leaf chlorophyll, and relative water content compared with those grafted onto the latter. They also had greater maximum photochemical efficiency and water-use efficiency. On the other hand, trees growing on M. sieversii rootstock had less production of superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide in both leaves and roots than those growing on M. hupehensis in response to drought stress. Furthermore, under drought conditions, leaves and roots from trees grafted onto M. sieversii had greater synthesis of ascorbic acid and glutathione, as well as higher activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione reductase. These results suggest that the choice of grafting rootstock can enhance drought resistance by improving the antioxidant system in a plant. Here, ‘Gale Gala’ trees grafted onto M. sieversii were more drought-resistant than those on M. hupehensis rootstock.

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Abbreviations

ABA:

Abscisic acid

APX:

Ascorbate peroxidase

AsA:

Reduced ascorbate

CAT:

Catalase

DHA:

Dehydroascorbate

DHAR:

Dehydroascorbate reductase

GR:

Glutathione reductase

GSH:

Reduced glutathione

GSSG:

Oxidized glutathione

H2O2 :

Hydrogen peroxide

MDHAR:

Monodehydroascorbate reductase

O ·−2 :

Superoxide anion

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the earmarked fund for China Agriculture Research System. The authors are grateful to Priscilla Licht for help in revising our English composition and to Mr. Xuanchang Fu for management of the potted apple plants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China

    Binghua Liu, Mingjun Li, Liang Cheng, Dong Liang, Yangjun Zou & Fengwang Ma

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  1. Binghua Liu
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  2. Mingjun Li
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  3. Liang Cheng
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  4. Dong Liang
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Correspondence to Fengwang Ma.

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Liu, B., Li, M., Cheng, L. et al. Influence of rootstock on antioxidant system in leaves and roots of young apple trees in response to drought stress. Plant Growth Regul 67, 247–256 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-012-9683-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-012-9683-5

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