5-Aminolevulinic Acid Pretreatment Mitigates Drought and Salt Stresses in Poplar Plants

Zhiyin Jiao; Shuo Han; Xiao Yu; Mengbo Huang; Conglong Lian; Chao Liu; Weilun Yin; Xinli Xia

doi:10.3390/f12081112

Forests (Aug 2021)

5-Aminolevulinic Acid Pretreatment Mitigates Drought and Salt Stresses in Poplar Plants

Zhiyin Jiao,
Shuo Han,
Xiao Yu,
Mengbo Huang,
Conglong Lian,
Chao Liu,
Weilun Yin,
Xinli Xia

Affiliations

Zhiyin Jiao: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Shuo Han: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Xiao Yu: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Mengbo Huang: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Conglong Lian: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Chao Liu: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Weilun Yin: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Xinli Xia: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/f12081112
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12, no. 8
p. 1112

Abstract

Read online

5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a key precursor in the biosynthesis of porphyrins, can improve plant tolerance to various environmental stresses. However, it is unclear whether ALA can improve tolerance in poplar. Here, we investigated the effects of ALA on poplars under drought and salt stresses. ALA pretreatment exhibited less morphological damage, reduced leaf malonaldehyde content (MDA) and electrolyte leakage (EL), and increased leaf relative water content (RWC), proline (PRO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) content under stresses. Furthermore, exogenous ALA mitigated the decrease in photosynthetic capacity, and restored the chlorophyll content (Chl), net CO2 assimilation rate, stomatal conductance (Gs), transpiration rate (Tr), maximal photochemical quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm), actual quantum yield of photosynthesis (YII), and electron transfer rate (ETR) of poplar under various stresses. qRT-PCR showed that ALA up-regulated the expression of antiporters and aquaporins genes, which are associated with Na+ exclusion in the leaf cells and the transport activity of aquaporins. In summary, ALA pretreatment significantly improved the stress tolerance of poplar, decreasing the degree of membrane lipid peroxidation and promoting the photosynthesis and antioxidant capacity of leaves. In addition, our results showed that ALA might mediate Na+ transporter and aquaporins activity, thereby increasing the salt tolerance of poplar.

Published in Forests

ISSN: 1999-4907 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Botany: Plant ecology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/forests/

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords