With global warming,
plants often suffer damage from high temperatures
during the growth process, which inhibits their growth. In this work,
carbon dots (CDs), synthesized by Salvia miltiorrhiza (S. miltiorrhiza) with a one-step
hydrothermal method, were selected as heat-resistant enhancement agents
for plants. Inspired by this background, this work studied Italian
lettuce grown at 25, 35, and 45 °C and treated with CD and deionized
water control (sprayed on leaves). The results showed that the biomass,
chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, activities of SOD (superoxide
dismutase), POD (peroxidase), CAT (catalase), soluble sugar, and soluble
protein contents of lettuce treated by CDs were increased while the
contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline (Pro) were decreased
at 35 and 45 °C. The application of CDs at 35 and 45 °C
could maintain the growth of plants by reducing oxidative damage and
lipid peroxidation especially at the temperature of 35 °C, the
growth status of lettuce treated by CDs was no different from that
of lettuce grown naturally at the optimal temperature of 25 °C,
or even better than the latter. This finding verified that the CDs
could significantly improve the high-temperature tolerance of lettuce,
thus alleviating the heat stress of plants.