Investigation of Comparative Regulation on Antioxidant Enzyme System under Copper Treatment and Drought Stress in Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.)

Abstract

The present study was conducted to present the responses of drought-sensitive ‘Shemal’ and drought-tolerant ‘71MAY69’ maize cultivars under drought condition (20% Polyethylene glycol, -0.40 MPa) and three different copper concentrations (0.5 mM, 1 mM, 1.5 mM uSO4.5H2O) for 5 days to determine the enzymatic responses of copper treatment in maize leaves. Copper treatments alone did not change stomatal conductance, relative water content, malondialdehyde, proline, hydrogen peroxide content and abscisic acid level according to control groups.  Combined treatment (drought and copper) alleviated the damage of PEG- induced drought stress in maize leaves. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutatione reductase (GR) activity increased and glutathione -S transferase (GST) activity decreased, while ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity did not change under drought stress in the tolerant cultivar. SOD, CAT and APX were decreased and GST activities were increased while GR did not change in ‘Shemal’. Also SOD, APX and CAT activity increased by copper treatment alone in both cultivars. Otherwise combined treatment increased SOD, APX and CAT activity at all concentrations, but GR and GST activity increased only by (PEG+1.5 mM) treatment when compared with PEG treatment alone in sensitive ones. As a result, exogenous copper alleviated drought stress, while it induced an oxidative damage by increasing antioxidant enzyme activities differently from drought tolerance. Copper tolerance in maize is not a common response of its defense mechanism because of different response to copper and drought in the same cultivar.