Effect of Salicylic Acid on Growth and Chilling Tolerance of Cucumber Seedlings

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to improve the chilling tolerance of cucumber seedlings. The conditioned seeds in solutions of salicylic or jasmonic acid in concentrations of 10-2, 10-3 or 10-4 M or brassinolide in concentrations of 10-6, 10-8 or 10-10 M were subjected to temperature shock of 0, 2.5, 5, 35, 40 or 45°C for 1, 2 or 4 hours. Seedlings with 3 mm roots were chilled at 0°C for three days. The chilling susceptibility was evaluated by measurements of roots lengths, electrolyte leakage and total dehydrogenase activity. The obtained results indicated that cucumber tolerance to chilling conditions depended on the plant growth regulators used during seed imbibition and its concentration as well as the temperature initiating thermal shock and its duration. The highest tolerance to chilling, expressed by the subsequent growth of roots, was observed after seed conditioning in salicylic acid solutions in a concentration of 10-4 M for 16 h at 25°C, then exposed for 4 h to a shock temperature of 5°C. The length of seedling roots after such treatment was over 12 times longer than the control (imbibed in distilled water and not subjected to short-term temperature impact). An increased chilling tolerance of cucumber seedlings may result from enhanced membrane integrity and total dehydrogenase activity. Further research is needed to explain the mechanism of the positive effects of salicylic acid, jasmonic acid or brassinolide application to reduce the injurious effects of chilling on cucumber seedlings.

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Salicylic acid improves chilling tolerance by affecting antioxidant enzymes and osmoregulators in sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis)

Revista Brasileira de Botânica ◽

10.1007/s40415-014-0067-0 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 357-363 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Y. L. Luo ◽

Z. L. Su ◽

T. J. Bi ◽

X. L. Cui ◽

Q. Y. Lan

Keyword(s):

Salicylic Acid ◽

Antioxidant Enzymes ◽

Chilling Tolerance ◽

Plukenetia Volubilis ◽

Sacha Inchi

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Salicylic acid analogues with biological activity may induce chilling tolerance of maize (Zea mays) seeds

Botany ◽

10.1139/b2012-055 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 90 (9) ◽

pp. 845-855 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Yang Wang ◽

Jin Hu ◽

Guochen Qin ◽

Huawei Cui ◽

Qitian Wang

Keyword(s):

Zea Mays ◽

Biological Activity ◽

Salicylic Acid ◽

Chilling Stress ◽

Chilling Tolerance ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Aminobenzoic Acid ◽

Aminosalicylic Acid ◽

Shoot Height ◽

Maize Seeds

One kind of biologically active salicylic acid (SA) analogue (acetylsalicylic acid, ASA) and two inactive compounds (4-aminosalicylic acid and 4-aminobenzoic acid), along with SA were chosen to evaluate their role in inducing chilling tolerance of two different chilling-tolerant maize ( Zea mays L.) inbred lines. These compounds were applied as seed treatments or as a hydroponic application. The results showed that four compounds had no significant effect on germination of maize seeds; however, SA or ASA soaking treatments significantly increased the root length, shoot height, and shoot and root dry weights of seedlings grown under chilling stress. Hydroponic applications of SA or ASA significantly alleviated the accumulation of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide radicals in roots and leaves of both lines under chilling stress, and the applications also increased the photosynthetic pigments, including chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids. However, 4-aminosalicylic acid and 4-aminobenzoic acid applications had no significant effect in ameliorating the growth inhibition of seedlings under chilling stress. This study showed that SA and ASA significantly induced the chilling tolerance of maize; however, 4-aminosalicylic acid and 4-aminobenzoic acid were not effective in inducing tolerance to chilling stress. The results suggest that only SA analogues with biological activity may have the ability to induce chilling tolerance of maize.

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The Effect of Heat Shock, ABA, and Salicylic Acid on Induction of Chilling Tolerance in Cucumber Seedling Roots

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.30.4.913h ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 913H-914

Author(s):

Meng-Yee Tee ◽

Paul H. Jennings

Keyword(s):

Salicylic Acid ◽

Heat Shock ◽

Chilling Injury ◽

Chilling Tolerance ◽

Cucumber Seedling ◽

Crop Species ◽

Growth Effects ◽

Seedling Roots ◽

Treatment Mechanisms ◽

Germinated Seeds

Chilling injury can be a serious problem during field germination of sensitive crop species. Because heat shock has been shown to induce chilling tolerance of germinating cucumber seeds, an experiment was initiated to determine the effectiveness of other treatments. Cucumber seeds germinated 20 to 24 h were either heat-shocked at 50C for 2 min or treated with ABA or salicylic acid for 4 h. Following treatment, the germinated seeds were chilled at 2C for 96, 120, or 144 h and then incubated at 25C to determine growth effects on the developing root. All treatments induced chilling tolerance compared to the controls, with ABA and heat shock being most effective after chilling. There did not appear to be an additive response when heat shock was used in combination with ABA. The evidence for different treatment mechanisms will be discussed.

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H2O2 Functions as a Downstream Signal of IAA to Mediate H2S-Induced Chilling Tolerance in Cucumber

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms222312910 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (23) ◽

pp. 12910

Author(s):

Xiaowei Zhang ◽

Yanyan Zhang ◽

Chenxiao Xu ◽

Kun Liu ◽

Huangai Bi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chilling Stress ◽

Chilling Injury ◽

Chilling Tolerance ◽

H2o2 Production ◽

Mrna Levels ◽

Sodium Hydrosulfide ◽

Polar Transport ◽

Cucumber Seedlings ◽

Injury Index ◽

Transport Inhibitor

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays a crucial role in regulating chilling tolerance. However, the role of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and auxin in H2S-induced signal transduction in the chilling stress response of plants was unclear. In this study, 1.0 mM exogenous H2O2 and 75 μM indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) significantly improved the chilling tolerance of cucumber seedlings, as demonstrated by the mild plant chilling injury symptoms, lower chilling injury index (CI), electrolyte leakage (EL), and malondialdehyde content (MDA) as well as higher levels of photosynthesis and cold-responsive genes under chilling stress. IAA-induced chilling tolerance was weakened by N, N′-dimethylthiourea (DMTU, a scavenger of H2O2), but the polar transport inhibitor of IAA (1-naphthylphthalamic acid, NPA) did not affect H2O2-induced mitigation of chilling stress. IAA significantly enhanced endogenous H2O2 synthesis, but H2O2 had minimal effects on endogenous IAA content in cucumber seedlings. In addition, the H2O2 scavenger DMTU, inhibitor of H2O2 synthesis (diphenyleneiodonium chloride, DPI), and IAA polar transport inhibitor NPA reduced H2S-induced chilling tolerance. Sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) increased H2O2 and IAA levels, flavin monooxygenase (FMO) activity, and respiratory burst oxidase homolog (RBOH1) and FMO-like protein (YUCCA2) mRNA levels in cucumber seedlings. DMTU, DPI, and NPA diminished NaHS-induced H2O2 production, but DMTU and DPI did not affect IAA levels induced by NaHS during chilling stress. Taken together, the present data indicate that H2O2 as a downstream signal of IAA mediates H2S-induced chilling tolerance in cucumber seedlings.

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Salicylic Acid Is Involved in Rootstock–Scion Communication in Improving the Chilling Tolerance of Grafted Cucumber

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.693344 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Xin Fu ◽

Yi-Qing Feng ◽

Xiao-Wei Zhang ◽

Yan-Yan Zhang ◽

Huan-Gai Bi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Salicylic Acid ◽

Root Zone ◽

Chilling Stress ◽

Photochemical Efficiency ◽

Chilling Tolerance ◽

Rubisco Activase ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Binding Factor ◽

Cold Tolerant ◽

Cold Sensitive

Salicylic acid (SA) has been proven to be a multifunctional signaling molecule that participates in the response of plants to abiotic stresses. In this study, we used cold-sensitive cucumber and cold-tolerant pumpkin as experimental materials to examine the roles of SA in root–shoot communication responses to aerial or/and root-zone chilling stress in own-root and hetero-root grafted cucumber and pumpkin plants. The results showed that pumpkin (Cm) rootstock enhanced the chilling tolerance of grafted cucumber, as evidenced by the observed lower levels of electrolyte leakage (EL), malondialdehyde (MDA), and higher photosynthetic rate (Pn) and gene expression of Rubisco activase (RCA). However, cucumber (Cs) rootstock decreased the chilling tolerance of grafted pumpkins. Cs/Cm plants showed an increase in the mRNA expression of C-repeat-binding factor (CBF1), an inducer of CBF expression (ICE1), and cold-responsive (COR47) genes and CBF1 protein levels in leaves under 5/25 and 5/5°C stresses, or in roots under 25/5 and 5/5°C stresses, respectively, compared with the Cs/Cs. Chilling stress increased the endogenous SA content and the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), and the increase in SA content and activity of PAL in Cs/Cm plants was much higher than in Cs/Cs plants. Transcription profiling analysis revealed the key genes of SA biosynthesis, PAL, ICS, and SABP2 were upregulated, while SAMT, the key gene of SA degradation, was downregulated in Cs/Cm leaves, compared with Cs/Cs leaves under chilling stress. The accumulation of SA in the Cs/Cm leaves was mainly attributed to an increase in SA biosynthesis in leaves and that in transport from roots under aerial and root-zone chilling stress, respectively. In addition, exogenous SA significantly upregulated the expression level of cold-responsive (COR) genes, enhanced actual photochemical efficiency (ΦPSII), maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), and Pn, while decreased EL, MDA, and CI in grafted cucumber. These results suggest that SA is involved in rootstock–scion communication and grafting-induced chilling tolerance by upregulating the expression of COR genes in cucumber plants under chilling stress.

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Spatial–Temporal Response of Reactive Oxygen Species and Salicylic Acid Suggest Their Interaction in Pumpkin Rootstock-Induced Chilling Tolerance in Watermelon Plants

Antioxidants ◽

10.3390/antiox10122024 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 2024

Author(s):

Fei Cheng ◽

Min Gao ◽

Junyang Lu ◽

Yuan Huang ◽

Zhilong Bie

Keyword(s):

Salicylic Acid ◽

Chilling Stress ◽

Redox Homeostasis ◽

Early Response ◽

Chilling Tolerance ◽

Plant Tolerance ◽

Temporal Response ◽

Signal Molecule ◽

Antioxidant Metabolism ◽

Psii Activity

Grafting with pumpkin rootstock could improve chilling tolerance in watermelon, and salicylic acid (SA) as a signal molecule is involved in regulating plant tolerance to chilling and other abiotic stresses. To clarify the mechanism in pumpkin rootstock-induced systemic acquired acclimation in grafted watermelon under chilling stress, we used self-grafted (Cl/Cl) and pumpkin rootstock-grafted (Cl/Cm) watermelon seedlings to study the changes in lipid peroxidation, photosystem II (PSII) activity and antioxidant metabolism, the spatio–temporal response of SA biosynthesis and H2O2 accumulation to chilling, and the role of H2O2 signal in SA-induced chilling tolerance in grafted watermelon. The results showed that pumpkin rootstock grafting promoted SA biosynthesis in the watermelon scions. Chilling induced hydrolysis of conjugated SA into free SA in the roots and accumulation of free SA in the leaves in Cl/Cm plants. Further, pumpkin rootstock grafting induced early response of antioxidant enzyme system in the roots and increased activities of ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase in the leaves, thus maintaining cellular redox homeostasis. Exogenous SA improved while the inhibition of SA biosynthesis reduced chilling tolerance in Cl/Cl seedlings. The application of diphenyleneiodonium (DPI, inhibitor of NADPH oxidase) and dimethylthiourea (DMTU, H2O2 scavenger) decreased, while exogenous H2O2 improved the PSII activity in Cl/Cl plants under chilling stress. Additionally, the decrease of the net photosynthetic rate in DMTU- and DPI-pretreated Cl/Cl plants under chilling conditions could be alleviated by subsequent application of H2O2 but not SA. In conclusion, pumpkin rootstock grafting induces SA biosynthesis and redistribution in the leaves and roots and participates in the regulation of antioxidant metabolism probably through interaction with the H2O2 signal, thus improving chilling tolerance in watermelon.

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