Water stress is one constraint of the development potential of many plant species under in vitro tissue culture. The present study aims to assess the responses of anise callus tissues to two concentrations (5% and 7.5%) of PEG-6000 under darkness and light (12H-photoperiod) for 30 days. The exposure of calli to water stress recorded morphological and physiological variations in fresh weight and water content in the callus decreased with increasing dry weight. Malondialdehyde content increased progressively with concentrations used with higher values under dark than in light. The activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, APX, and GPOX) was affected by PEG-6000 concentrations and culture conditions. APX and CAT increased gradually with 5% and 7.5% of PEG-6000 with higher values in light, but SOD enzyme reacted differently with a slight increase with 5% in light and higher ones under dark with 7.5%. Additionally, GPOX activity decreased with both concentrations independently of light or darkness. The results revealed that anise calli under drought stress with 7.5% PEG-6000 were more resistant to the lack of water in our experimental conditions.
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