Foliar Methyl Jasmonate Application Activates Antioxidant Mechanisms to Counteract Water Deficits and Aluminum Stress in <i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i> L.
Due to climate change, water deficits (WDs) and aluminum (Al) toxicity are increasing, affecting plants, especially crops such as blueberries (<i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i> L.). The application of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) could mitigate these effects. This work aimed to evaluate the effecti...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Horticulturae |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/10/11/1172 |
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| Summary: | Due to climate change, water deficits (WDs) and aluminum (Al) toxicity are increasing, affecting plants, especially crops such as blueberries (<i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i> L.). The application of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) could mitigate these effects. This work aimed to evaluate the effective MeJA dose to overcome oxidative stress provoked by combined WD+Al stress in blueberries. Plants of Al-sensitive (Star) and Al-resistant (Legacy) cultivars were exposed to control (Al at 65 mg/Kg, 80% field capacity), WD+Al (50% field capacity; Al at 1665 mg/Kg), and WD+Al treatment with different foliar MeJA doses (10, 50, and 100 μM) during 7 and 21 days. Data revealed that plants exposed to WD+Al and treated with 50 µM MeJA reduced Al up to 3.2-fold in roots and 2.7-fold in leaves and improved water potential (Ψw) up to 2.5-fold. The sensitive cultivar decreased the relative growth rate under WD+Al, increasing by 1.9-fold with 50 µM MeJA. Under WD+Al stress, all MeJA doses mitigated the decrease in relative water content in Al-resistant cultivars, restoring values like control plants. In the sensitive cultivar, 50 µM MeJA increased photosynthesis (1.5-fold) and stomatal conductance (1.4-fold), without changes in transpiration. Lipid peroxidation decreased (1.2-fold) and increased antioxidant activity (1.8-fold), total phenols (1.6-fold), and superoxide dismutase activity (3.3-fold) under WD+Al and 50 µM-MeJA. It was concluded that the most effective dose to alleviate the WD+Al stress was 50 µM MeJA due to the activation of antioxidants in blueberry plants. Therefore, the MeJA application could be a potential strategy for enhancing the resilience of <i>V. corynbosum</i> exposed to WD+Al stress. |
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| ISSN: | 2311-7524 |