Phytohormones play critical roles in regulating plant responses to stress. Here, we investigated the effects of salt stress and stress recovery by applying jasmonate to the two different rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars Dongjinchalbyeo (DJC, salt-tolerant) and Dongjinbyeo (DJ, salt-sensitive). Salt stress remarkably decreased the root length of plants even at low NaCl concentration (20 mm). Salt stress led to a sharp increase in the concentrations of abscisic acid (ABA) in 20 and 40 mm NaCl, when compared with the control values. The concentrations of ABA in the salt-tolerant cultivar DJC plants progressively increased with increasing NaCl levels, whereas in the salt-sensitive cultivar DJ, they sharply decreased in all three parts of rice plants at 80 mm NaCl treatment. The decrease of jasmonic acid (JA) concentrations in salt-tolerant cultivar DJC was lesser than in the saltsensitive cultivar DJ plants in the shoot. Post-application in the stressed plants with 30 lm JA at 24 and 48 h after NaCl treatment, recovered salt inhibition on dry mass production more effectively than application of JA at 48 and 24 h before salt stress, and during salt stress simultaneously. The uptake of Na decreased especially in the salt-sensitive cultivar DJ plants, whereas there was an increase in Ca and Mg levels and slight increase of K by JA application. Leaf water potential, leaf photosynthetic rate, and maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII) also remarkably recovered when 30 lm JA was applied 24 h after the salt stress compared with the 40 mm NaCl-treated plants. These results clearly indicate that post-application with exogenous JA can ameliorate salt-stressed rice seedlings, especially the salt-sensitive cultivar rather than the salt-tolerant cultivar. This may change the balance of other endogenous plant hormones.Key words: abscisic acid -ion uptake -jasmonic acid -leaf photosynthesis -leaf water potential -maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm)

BackgroundSilicon (Si) has been known to regulate plant growth; however, the underlying mechanisms of short-term exogenous Si application on the regulation of calcium (Ca) and nitrogen (N), endogenous phytohormones, and expression of essential proteins have been little understood.ResultsExogenous Si application significantly increased Si content as compared to the control. Among Si treatments, 1.0 mM Si application showed increased phosphorus content as compared to other Si treatments (0.5, 2.0, and 4.0 mM). However, Ca accumulation was significantly reduced (1.8- to 2.0-fold) at the third-leaf stage in the control, whereas all Si treatments exhibited a dose-dependent increase in Ca as determined by radioisotope 45Ca analysis. Similarly, the radioisotope 15N for nitrogen localization and uptake showed a varying but reduced response (ranging from 1.03–10.8%) to different Si concentrations as compared to 15N application alone. Physiologically active endogenous gibberellin (GA1) was also significantly higher with exogenous Si (1.0 mM) as compared to GA20 and the control plants. A similar response was noted for endogenous jasmonic and salicylic acid synthesis in rice plants with Si application. Proteomic analysis revealed the activation of several essential proteins, such as Fe-S precursor protein, putative thioredoxin, Ser/Thr phosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (G6P), and importin alpha-1b (Imp3), with Si application. Among the most-expressed proteins, confirmatory gene expression analysis for G6P and Imp3 showed a similar response to those of the Si treatments.ConclusionsIn conclusion, the current results suggest that short-term exogenous Si can significantly regulate rice plant physiology by influencing Ca, N, endogenous phytohormones, and proteins, and that 1.0 mM Si application is more beneficial to plants than higher concentrations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12870-017-1216-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Three rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars ( cv. Daesanbyeo, cv. Dongjinbyeo, cv. Junambyeo) were analyzed for endogenous gibberellin (GA) and jasmonic acid (JA) contents and their changes in response to elevated nitrogen (N) levels. The N fertilizer was applied in the form of urea [(NH2)2CO] at three rates (0, 36.8, 73.6 kg N ha–1). Plant growth (height and dry weight) was enhanced by the first N rate but not further enhanced by the highest rate. The endogenous GA contents were analyzed through high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry–selected ion monitoring (GC‐MS‐SIM) while that of JA with GC‐MS‐SIM. They were analyzed one week after N application and were significantly increased with elevated N levels in all rice cultivars. The bioactive GA1 markedly increased, but its concentration differed in different rice cultivars. Similar fluctuations were observed for endogenous GA8, GA12, GA19, GA20, and GA53 in response to elevated N levels, showing that the rates of biosynthesis of GAs were differently affected by elevated N levels within different rice cultivars. The level of GA20, a precursor of GA1 biosynthesis, was not significantly increased, though GA19, a precursor of GA20, was found to be the most abundant GA type in all rice cultivars. Jasmonic acid content in the plants increased with the basic urea application (36.8 kg N ha–1), but significantly decreased with the double urea level (73.6 kg N ha–1). The results demonstrate that GA and JA are differentially affected in response to elevated N application in rice.

Ginseng foliar diseases are typically controlled by spray application using periodic schedules. Few disease warning systems have been used for effective control of ginseng foliar diseases because ginseng is grown under shade nettings, which makes it difficult to obtain weather data for operation of the disease warning system. Using weather data measured outside the shade as inputs to an empirical leaf wetness duration (LWD) model, LWD was estimated to examine if operation of a disease warning system would be feasible for control of ginseng foliar diseases. An empirical model based on a fuzzy logic system (fuzzy model) was used to estimate LWD at two commercial ginseng fields located in Gochang-gun and Jeongeup-si, Korea, in 2011 and 2012. Accuracy of LWD estimates was assessed in terms of mean error (ME) and mean absolute error (MAE). The fuzzy model tended to overestimate LWD during dew eligible days whereas it tended to underestimate LWD during rainfall eligible days. Still, daily disease risk ratings of the TOM-CAST disease warning system, which are derived from estimates of wetness duration and temperature, had a tendency to coincide with that derived from measurements of weather variables. As a result, spray advisory dates for the TOM-CAST disease warning system were predicted within ±3 days for about 78% of time windows during which the action threshold for spray application was reached. This result suggested that estimates of LWD using an empirical model would be helpful in control of a foliar disease in a ginseng field. It was also found that a spray application time model using meteorological observations may prove successful without the requirement of leaf wetness sensors within the field. Development of empirical correction schemes to the fuzzy model and a physical model for LWD estimation in a ginseng field could improve accuracy of LWD estimates and, as a result, spray advisory date prediction, which merits further studies.

Content of endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) increased in rice plants under salt stress. Pre-or post-treatment by jasmonic acid (JA) mostly further increased ABA content. In the presence of salt stress also content of gibberellins (GAs) mostly increased more after treatment by JA. Endogenous content of bioactive GA 1 was higher in post-treatment by JA than in pre-treatment by JA.