Communication · Volume 4, Issue 1 · pp. 70–74
Cold-induced changes in antioxidant defenses and reactive oxygen species in eight wild almond species
Adriano Sofo1, Shakiba Rajabpoor2, Hamid Yaghini3, Maryam Shirani3, Azin Archangi3, Seyed Ehsan Sangi3, Farahnaz Tavakoli3, Mehdi Khodai3, Karim Sorkheh4
- 1School of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università degli Studi della Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, ITALY.
- 2Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, P.O. Box. 19395-3697, Tehran, IRAN.
- 3Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University, P.O. Box 115, IRAN.
- 4Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University, P.O. Box 135, Ahvaz, IRAN.
Abstract
Introduction: Wild almond species (Prunus spp.) demonstrate a greater resistance to low temperatures due to their antioxidant defenses and so represent valuable germplasm sources for rootstock breeding.Methods: Eight genotypes of wild almond were subjected to two different cold treatments. The enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant responses and the levels of some reactive oxygen species in leaves were measured.Results: The high ascorbate content and high ascorbate peroxidase activity found in some almond species contributed to the decrease in H2 O2 . Generally, catalase activity increased after the cold treatments, whereas superoxide dismutase activity and OH• levels varied markedly among the species.Conclusions: The differences in antioxidative traits among the almond species support the hypothesis of their importance in cold tolerance and could provide an useful probe to identify tolerant genotypes in breeding programs.
Keywords: α-tocopherol; Ascorbate; Antioxidant Enzymes; Cold Stress; Prunus Spp
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