Exogenous Salicylic Acid Alleviates Freeze-Thaw Injury of Cabbage ( Brassica oleracea L.) Leaves

Kyungwon Min and Sang-Ryong Lee
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Kyungwon Min: Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Dongguk University, Seoul 04620, Korea
Sang-Ryong Lee: Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Dongguk University, Seoul 04620, Korea

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 20, 1-12

Abstract: Freezing tolerance and physiological/biochemical changes were investigated for cabbage ( Brassica oleracea L. ‘Myeong-Sung’) leaves treated with 0.5 mM salicylic acid (SA) by sub-irrigation. SA treatment did not interfere with leaf-growth (fresh/dry weight, and leaf-area), rather promoted growth (leaf-area) as compared to the control. Temperature-controlled, laboratory-based freeze-thaw assays revealed that SA-treated leaves were more freeze-tolerant than controls as evident by less ion-leakage as well as malondialdehyde content after freeze-thaw stress treatments (−2.5 and −3.5 °C). SA treatment also significantly alleviated freeze-induced oxidative stress as evidenced by the lower accumulation of O 2 • − and H 2 O 2 , concomitant with higher activities of antioxidant enzymes (ascorbate peroxidase and superoxide dismutase) relative to the control. Specifically, SA-treated leaves had a greater abundance of compatible solute (proline) and secondary metabolites (phenolic/flavonoid contents). These changes, together, may improve freezing tolerance through protecting membranes against freeze-desiccation and mitigating freeze-induced oxidative stress.

Keywords: freezing stress; oxidative stress; compatible solute; secondary metabolite; reactive oxygen species (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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