Chilling-induced leaf abscission of Ixora coccinea plants. III. Enhancement by high light via increased oxidative processes

Rina Michaeli, Sonia Philosoph-Hadas, Joseph Riov, Yosepha Shahak, Kira Ratner, Shimon Meir*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

The role of increased oxidation induced by successive stresses of chilling and high light in the induction of leaf abscission was studied in Ixora coccinea plants in relation to auxin metabolism and oxidative processes. Exposure of plants following dark chilling (7°C for 3 days) to high light (500-700 μmol m-2 s-1 photosynthetically active radiation) for 5 h at 20-25°C enhanced chilling-induced leaf abscission. This abscission was inhibited by pretreatment with the antioxidant butylated hydroxyanisole, α-naphthaleneacetic acid or the ethylene action inhibitor, 1-methylcyclopropene. The oxidative processes initiated during the low light period following the dark chilling period, such as indoleacetic acid (IAA) decarboxylation and lipid peroxidation, were further enhanced by subsequent exposure to high light. Photoinhibition, expressed by the reduction of the chlorophyll fluorescence parameter Fv/Fm, was evident following exposure to high light, irrespective of the temperature of the pretreatment, but this reduction persisted only in chilled plants. This suggests that oxidative processes generated during and after the chilling period might have inhibited the recovery from photoinhibition. The chilling stress under darkness induced a 60% reduction in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and significant increases (130-600%) in the activities of several other antioxidative enzymes. These data suggest that the chilling-induced reduction in SOD activity may well be responsible for the increase in the oxidative stress induced by the subsequent light treatment, as expressed by the increased enzymatic activities. Taken together, this study provides further support for the involvement of oxidative processes in the events occurring in tissues exposed to sequential chilling and light stresses, leading to reduction in free IAA content in the abscission zone and to leaf abscission.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)338-345
Number of pages8
JournalPhysiologia Plantarum
Volume113
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001

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