Hydrogen peroxide signal photosynthetic acclimation of Solanum lycopersicum L. cv Micro-Tom under water deficit.

The current climate change setting necessitates the development of methods to mitigate the effects of water scarcity to ensure the sustainability of agricultural activities.f Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a plant signaling molecule that can trigger metabolic defense mechanisms in response to adverse environmental circumstances like as drought. The purpose of this study was to investigate if foliar application of H2O2 stimulates modifications in photosynthetic metabolism for adaptation of tomato plants to a period of water deficit and recovery. The study, which was carried out in a factorial scheme, tested plants subjected to two water conditions (well-watered plants and plants subjected to water deficit), as well as foliar application of 1 mM H2O2 (zero, one, or two applications, 24 h after the first), and was evaluated in two moments, during the deficit period and after recovery. Foliar application of 1 mM H2O2 resulted in a 69% increase in the maximum rate of RuBisCO carboxylation in well-watered plants, contributing to tomato photosynthetic adjustment. H2O2 treatment resulted in a 37% increase in dry mass in these plants. In plants subjected to water deficiency, 2× H2O2 increased stress tolerance by reducing the maximal rate of RuBisCO carboxylation by only 18%, but in plants that did not receive H2O2 treatment, the reduction was 86% in comparison to the wet plants. Plants exposed to a water shortage and given 2× H2O2 stored sucrose in the leaves and had a 17% higher relative water content than plants not given H2O2. Thus, H2O2 foliar treatment can be used in tomato management to induce drought tolerance or to boost photosynthetic activity and dry mass formation in well-watered plants.

Roles of Calcium Signaling in Gene Expression and Photosynthetic Acclimatization of Solanum lycopersicum Micro-Tom (MT) after Mechanical Damage.

A momentary increase in cytoplasmic Ca2+ generates an oscillation responsible for the activation of proteins, such as calmodulin and kinases, which interact with reactive oxygen species (ROS) for the transmission of a stress signal. This study investigated the influence of variations in calcium concentrations on plant defense signaling and photosynthetic acclimatization after mechanical damage. Solanum lycopersicum Micro-Tom was grown with 0, 2 and 4 mM Ca2+, with and without mechanical damage. The expression of stress genes was evaluated, along with levels of antioxidant enzymes, hydrogen peroxide, lipid peroxidation, histochemistry, photosynthesis and dry mass of organs. The ROS production generated by mechanical damage was further enhanced by calcium-free conditions due to the inactivation of the oxygen evolution complex, contributing to an increase in reactive species. The results indicated that ROS affected mechanical damage signaling because calcium-free plants exhibited high levels of H2O2 and enhanced expression of kinase and RBOH1 genes, necessary conditions for an efficient response to stress. We conclude that the plants without calcium supply recognized mechanical damage but did not survive. The highest expression of the RBOH1 gene and the accumulation of H2O2 in these plants signaled cell death. Plants grown in the presence of calcium showed higher expression of SlCaM2 and control of H2O2 concentration, thus overcoming the stress caused by mechanical damage, with photosynthetic acclimatization and without damage to dry mass production.

Silicon and mechanical damage increase polyphenols and vitexin in Passiflora incarnata L.

Passiflora incarnata L. is a species of global pharmacological importance, has not been fully studied in the context of cultivation and management. It is known that silicon acts on abiotic stress and promotes phenols synthesis. The practice of mechanical damage is widely used in P. incarnata crops, and its interaction with silicon can have a significant influence on plant metabolism. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the effects of silicon and mechanical damage on photosynthesis, polyphenols and vitexin of P. incarnata. The experiment was conducted in a factorial design with SiO2 concentrations (0, 1, 2, 3 mM) and presence or absence of mechanical damage. It was found that mechanical damage improved photosynthetic performance at lower concentrations or absence of silicon. Moreover, this condition promoted an increasing in vitexin concentration when SiO2 was not provided. The application of 3 mM Si is recommended to increase polyphenols and vitexin, without harming dry mass of aerial part. The interaction between silicon and mechanical damage could be a tool to increase agronomic yield and commercial value of the P. incarnata crop.

Presence of glyphosate can harm the germination of bean seeds treated with biostimulant / Presença de glifosato pode prejudicar a germinação de sementes de feijoeiro tratadas com bioestimulante

It is possible to cultivate common beans for a third harvest in one agricultural year due to varietal characteristics. For calendar adequacy, performing desiccation and planting often occur almost simultaneously. Germination performance of many plant species can improve with biostimulant use on seeds, however the interaction with herbicide residual molecules is unknown. The hypothesis is that seeds treated with a biostimulant in soil with glyphosate residues can eliminate the advantage of the biostimulant or increase the damage caused by the herbicide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different glyphosate reduce doses and the interaction with biostimulant on bean seed germination and vigor. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized 2 x 5 factorial block designing factorial 2 x 5, corresponding to the presence and absence of biostimulant and five different doses of glyphosate reduce rates, with four repetitions. The conducted evaluations were first count germination, germination test, accelerated aging, cold test, root and shoot length, root and shoot dry matter and electrical conductivity. It can be concluded that the biostimulant treatment on bean seeds increased germination, seed vigor and early seedling growth, but glyphosate presence reduced those advantages, increasing electrical conductivity. However, the herbicide presence provided higher germination on the accelerated aging test.

Devido às características de variedades de feijoeiro comum, é possível seu cultivo como terceira safra em um ano agrícola. Para adequação ao calendário, a prática de dessecação e plantio muitas vezes ocorrem quase simultaneamente. A utilização de bioestimulantes em sementes pode aumentar o desempenho germinativo de diversas espécies de plantas, no entanto a sua interação com moléculas residuais de herbicidas é desconhecido. A hipótese é que o uso de sementes tratadas com bioestimulante em solos com resíduos de glifosato pode eliminar as vantagens do primeiro ou amentar os danos causados pelo herbicida. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de subdoses de glifosato e bioestimulante em sementes de feijoeiro. O experimento foi realizado em blocos inteiramente casualizados em fatorial 2x5, correspondendo a ausência e presença de bioestimulante e cinco subdoses de glifosato, com quatro repetições. As avaliações foram primeira contagem de germinação, teste de germinação, envelhecimento acelerado, teste de frio, comprimento de parte aérea e de raiz, massa seca de parte aérea e de raiz e condutividade elétrica. Conclui-se que o tratamento de sementes de feijoeiro com bioestimulante eleva a germinação, o vigor de sementes e o crescimento inicial de plântulas, porém a presença de glifosato elimina essas vantagens, revelando maior condutividade elétrica. No entanto, a presença do herbicida proporciona maior germinação no teste de envelhecimento acelerado.