Nitric Oxide and Salicylic Acid Regulate Glutathione and Ethylene Production to Enhance Heat Stress Acclimation in Wheat Involving Sulfur Assimilation

• Published in: Plants (Basel) 2022-11, Vol.11 (22), p.3131
• Main Authors: Rasheed, Faisal, Mir, Iqbal R, Sehar, Zebus, Fatma, Mehar, Gautam, Harsha, Khan, Sheen, Anjum, Naser A, Masood, Asim, Sofo, Adriano, Khan, Nafees A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abiotic stress; Acclimation; Acclimatization; Antioxidants; Assimilation; Biological assimilation; Comparative analysis; Cultivars; Dietary minerals; Environmental aspects; Enzymes; Ethylene; Glutathione; Heat; Heat stress; Heat tolerance; High temperature; High-definition television; Hot weather; Hydrogen peroxide; Lipid peroxidation; Lipids; Metabolism; Nitric oxide; Nutrients; Oxidative stress; Peroxidation; Petroleum chemicals industry; Phenols; Phosphonic acids; Photosynthesis; Physiological aspects; Physiology; Plant growth; Polyamines; Proteins; Reactive oxygen species; Salicylic acid; Salinity; Sodium nitroprusside; Sulfur; Superoxide; Supplements; Thiols; Triticum aestivum; Wheat
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants11223131

Phytohormones have a role in stress adaptation. The major mechanism underlying the role of exogenously-sourced nitric oxide (NO; as sodium nitroprusside, SNP: 50.0 µM) and salicylic acid (SA; 0.5 mM) in the presence of 2.0 mM SO was assessed in heat stress (HS; 40 °C for 6 h daily for 15 days) tolerance in wheat L. cv. HD-3226). The cultivar HD-3226 possessed high photosynthetic sulfur use efficiency (p-SUE) among the six cultivars screened. Plants grown under HS exhibited an increased content of reactive oxygen species (ROS; including superoxide radical and hydrogen peroxide) and extent of lipid peroxidation with a consequent reduction in photosynthesis and growth. However, both NO and SA were found to be protective against HS via enhanced S assimilation. Their application reduced oxidative stress and increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes. NO or SA supplementation along with S under HS recovered the losses and improved photosynthesis and growth. The use of SA inhibitor (2-aminoindane-2-phosphonic acid; AIP) and NO scavenger (cPTIO) confirmed that the mitigating effects of SA and NO involved induction in S assimilation.