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Functional Plant Biology Functional Plant Biology Society
Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Exogenous spermidine enhances the photosynthetic and antioxidant capacity of rice under heat stress during early grain-filling period

She Tang A B , Haixiang Zhang A , Ling Li C , Xia Liu A , Lin Chen A B , Wenzhu Chen A and Yanfeng Ding A B D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A College of Agronomy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.

B Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing 210095, PR China.

C Social Sciences Editorial Departments, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.

D Corresponding author. Email: dingyf@njau.edu.cn

Functional Plant Biology 45(9) 911-921 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP17149
Submitted: 22 May 2017  Accepted: 17 February 2018   Published: 20 March 2018

Journal compilation © CSIRO 2018 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND

Abstract

High temperature has adverse effects on rice growth by inhibiting the flag leaf photosynthetic and antioxidant capacity, which can be alleviated by various exogenous chemicals such as spermidine (Spd). However, the role of Spd in conferring heat tolerance in rice is not well documented. Conventional japonica rice varieties Wuyunjing 24 and Ningjing 3 were treated with high temperatures at 37.5/27.0°C (day/night) and foliar sprayed with 1 mmol L−1 Spd after flowering. Results showed activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities were deceased during high temperature treatment and eventually lead to the malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. Exogenous Spd significantly increased both SOD and POD activities at the later stage of high-temperature treatment, and reduced MDA accumulation were identified in both rice varieties. Application of Spd further increased the amount of soluble sugars during high temperature stress and that maintained the osmotic equilibrium of rice leaves. Spd significantly increased photosystem II (ΦPSII), photosynthetic electron transport rate (ETR), variable fluorescence/maximum fluorescence ratio (Fvʹ/Fmʹ), stomatal conductance and the photochemical reaction of light energy ratio (Pr), and ultimately improved the photosynthetic and transpiration rate during high temperature stress. In conclusion, exogenous Spd can effectively alleviate the adverse consequences of high temperature and could be further applied to provide strategies in mitigating the challenges of global warming-induced yield loss and other possible relevant issues.

Additional keywords: antioxidant defence, antioxidant defense, high temperature, Oryza sativa, photosynthesis.


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