Exogenous Application of Methyl Jasmonate Promotes Yield and Grain Quality of Rice under Terminal Drought Stress
Yi Meng,
Ping Liao,
Yuqiong Chen,
Wenan Weng,
Le Chen,
Fangfu Xu,
Qun Hu,
Zhipeng Xing,
Haiyan Wei,
Hui Gao,
Hongcheng Zhang
Affiliations
Yi Meng
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industrial Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Ping Liao
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industrial Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Yuqiong Chen
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industrial Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Wenan Weng
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industrial Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Le Chen
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industrial Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Fangfu Xu
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industrial Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Qun Hu
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industrial Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Zhipeng Xing
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industrial Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Haiyan Wei
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industrial Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Hui Gao
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industrial Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Hongcheng Zhang
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industrial Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Exogenous application of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) improves rice drought tolerance, but its effects on rice yield and quality under drought stress during the reproductive phase remain unclear. A pot experiment was conducted to measure rice yield, grain quality, and starch physicochemical properties under three treatments: continuous flooding irrigation throughout the whole growth season (CF), ten days of −40 kPa drought stress at the heading stage (DS), and foliar spraying 100 μmol L−1 MeJA on the first three days of the ten-day −40 kPa heading stage drought stress (DM). An inbred japonica rice variety, Huaidao 5, was the experimental material, and each treatment had 11 replicates for sampling. The results indicated that DS significantly reduced rice yield and quality compared to CF. With increases in superoxide dismutase (+22.2%), peroxidase activities (+10.5%), catalase (+5.0%), and proline content (+5.7%), DM significantly increased 1000-grain weight (+8.6%), filled grain percentage (+3.6%), and yield (+11.1%) compared with DS. Regarding grain quality, DM significantly decreased the chalkiness degree (−12.3%) and protein content (−3.9%) but increased the amylose content (+17.2%) and taste value (+7.3%) relative to DS. In addition, DM improved breakdown viscosity (+17.8%), gelatinization enthalpy (+17.2%), retrogradation enthalpy (+28.0%), 1045/1022 cm−1 ratio (+3.0%), and starch granule morphology compared to DS. In conclusion, exogenous application of 100 μmol L−1 MeJA enhanced the antioxidant capacity of rice leaves, and thus improved starch physicochemical properties to increase grain yield and quality under terminal drought stress.
