The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of osmotic stress caused by polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 in hydroponic culture on wheat seedlings of drought-resistant Chinese Spring (CS) and drought-susceptible SQ1 cultivar, and to examine the alleviative role of exogenous polyamines (PAs) applied to the medium. The assessment was based on physiological (chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetics, chlorophyll and water content) as well as biochemical (content of carbohydrates, phenols, proline, salicylic and abscisic acid, activity of low molecular weight antioxidants) parameters, measured after supplementation with PAs (putrescine, spermidine and spermine) on the 3rd, 5th and 7th day of the treatment. The results indicate that PAs ameliorate the effects of stress, indirectly and conditionally inducing stress tolerance of wheat seedlings. In contrast to the susceptible SQ1, the resistant CS cultivar activated its protective mechanisms, adjusting the degree of their activation to the level of the stress, depending on the genetic resources of the plant. Increased accumulation of antioxidants in the resistant CS in response to stress after the application of PAs confirms the hypothesis that PAs are involved in the signaling pathway determining the antioxidative response and the tolerance of wheat plants to drought stress.
