ABA effect on antioxidant action and the production of field-grown maize photoassimilates in semiarid regions.

TRAVAGLIA CN, ROJAS JA, MORENO MT, ROMERO MC, SERRATO AJ, SAHRAWY M, REINOSO HE

BIOCELL

INST HISTOL EMBRIOL-CONICET

Lugar: Mendoza; Año: 2011 vol. 35 p. 225 - 225

0327-9545

The aim of this study is to analyze the response of exogenous ABA application in plants grown under field conditions in semi-arid zones in order to increase maize production, after relieving the detrimental effect of water stress and enhance the availability of carbohydrates. The maize cultivars used was DK 747 MGRR, with 6 replicates of the treatments: Control (foliar spray of water) and ABA 300 mg l-1 (foliar spray of ABA, 99%, Sigma-Aldrich) at V13. The variables analyzed took into account the photoassimilates production and partitioning towards the corncob and the yield components, as well as the antioxidant responses to water stress. This study showed that ABA in field-grown maize under moderate drought allows a greater amount of maize production, an increase in the level of photosynthetic pigments, the carbohydrates remobilization to grain, and the capacity of this transport by an increase in the number of vascular bundles and the phloem area in the corncob peduncles. In the ABAtreated leaves, a lower content of reductant sugars was observed in the R3. The regulation of the antioxidant enzymes activity and expression was modified in the ABA-treated maize plants, mainly in the APx. Evidence obtained in this study suggests that ABA could help improve agricultural production in rain-fed crops.