Role of abscisic acid in modulating drought acclimation, agronomic characteristics and β‐N‐oxalyl‐L‐α,β‐diaminopropionic acid (β‐ODAP) accumulation in grass pea (Lathyrus sativusL.)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: ⊎-N-oxalyl-L-⊍,⊎-diaminopropionic acid (⊎-ODAP) is a physiological indicator in response to drying soil. However, how abscisic acid (ABA) modulates ⊎-ODAP accumulation and its related agronomic characteristics in drought stressed grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) continue to be unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of ABA addition on drought tolerance, agronomic characteristics and ⊎-ODAP content in grass pea under drought stress.RESULTS: Exogenous ABA significantly promoted ABA levels by 19.3% and 18.3% under moderate and severe drought stress, respectively, compared to CK (without ABA, used as control check treatment). ABA addition activated earlier trigger of nonhydraulic root-sourced signal at 69.1% field capacity (FC) (65.5% FC in CK) and accordingly prolonged its operation period to 45.6% FC (49.0% FC in CK). This phenomenon was mechanically associated with the physiological mediation of ABA, where its addition significantly promoted the activities of leaf superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase enzymes and the biosynthesis of leaf proline, simultaneously lowering the accumulation of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide under moderate and severe stresses. Interestingly, ABA application significantly increased seed ⊎-ODAP content by 21.7% and 21.3% under moderate and severe drought stress, but did not change leaf ⊎-ODAP content. Furthermore, ABA application produced similar shoot biomass and grain yield as control groups.CONCLUSION: Exogenous ABA improved the drought adaptability of grass pea and promoted the synthesis of ⊎-ODAP in seeds but not in leaves. Our findings provide novel insights into the agronomic role of ABA in relation to ⊎-ODAP enrichment in grass pea subjected to drought stress.

Water stress memory in wheat/maize intercropping regulated photosynthetic and antioxidative responses under rainfed conditions

“…6 ). The synthesis and accumulation of proline also take place in plants to induce tolerance to water stress 75 . It has been well established that proline also owns antioxidative belongings and protects the plant cells from dehydration when acting as chaperones to shield the macromolecule assembling 76 .…”

Drought stress effects on Lathyrus seedlings: A morpho-physiological and molecular study

“…When incorporated into the soil, Lathyrus functions as an exceptional green manure, generating substantial quantities of nitrogen and biomass (Jeromela et al 2017). In comparison to other legumes, Lathyrus exhibits specific physiological and morphological traits that contribute to its drought tolerance, including an extensive and deep root system, stems with winged margins, narrow leaves, and high proline content (Kong et al 2022). These characteristics enable the plant to extract significant amounts of water from diverse soils, allowing it to withstand severe drought stress.…”

Development of a gold-based lateral flow immunoassay for the determination of abscisic acid

“…ABA is a small-molecule plant growth hormone ubiquitous in plants in trace amounts alongside auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin and ethylene, which plays many vital roles in plant growth stages including regulating the growth and development of plants, promoting seed dormancy, and influencing plant flowering and fruit maturing. 1 It can not only regulate the development itself, but also adjust its adaptation to the environment through the interaction with the environment in which it grows, so that plants can mitigate risks from nature like drought, cold, salinity, and disease. 2,3 The levels of ABA vary widely during different stages of plant growth.…”