The effect of phosphours and water deficit on phosphatase activity and proline accumulation in seedling cotyledons and roots of oilseed rape as compared to that of excised cotyledons and roots

Abstract

Oilseed rape seedlings and excised cotyledons and roots were exposed to phosphorus and osmotic stress (-1 MPa: NaCl or PEG). The stress factors limited the growth of the seedlings and inhibited the growth of the excised roots and cotyledons. The phosphorus content in the cotyledons and roots depended on its level in the media and on the stress factors used. Phosphorus deficiency differentiated total phosphatase activity in seedling cotyledons and increased the activity in the excised cotyledons. In the excised and seedling roots, the lack of phosphorus, its deficiency and stress imposed by the addition of NaCl, caused an increase in total and specific phosphatase activity. Osmotic stress caused proline accumulation in both the seedling and excised cotyledons, but the effect of phosphorus stress was much smaller. Proline increase in seedling roots followed only after the osmotic stress caused by NaCl. The proline content in the excised roots was low. Stress factors lowered the protein content in the seedling and excised cotyledons. In both seedling and excised roots, the lowering of the protein content occurred mainly in response to osmotic stress. Kinetin modified metabolic responses in seedling cotyledons and roots. The use of in vitro culture allowed the elucidation of the tested responses. In excised cotyledons grown under stress conditions, kinetin increased the phosphorus and protein contents and lowered proline accumulation, suggesting that kinetin had the ability to overcome phosphorus and osmotic stress. The excised oilseed rape roots responded only slightly to kinetin (Drozdowska and Rogozińska 1984) and its effect was much smaller.

Keywords

• water and phosphorus stress
• phosphatase activity
• praline accumulation