Acetic acid enhances the tolerance of grapevines to NaHCO3 stress by increasing SA production

Abstract

To demonstrate the role of acetic acid in increasing the tolerance of grapevines to NaHCO3 and reveal the underlying mechanism, the alkali-tolerant rootstock AB11, planted in a split-root system, was used in this study. The content of acetic acid was largely increased in the NaHCO3-treated half and nontreated half of split-root grapevines. When 25 mM acetic acid was applied to half the roots and the other half was treated with NaHCO3, acetic acid decreased the injury of the NaHCO3-treated roots and increased the grapevine tolerance to NaHCO3. Both acetic acid and NaHCO3 treatments largely increased the content of salicylic acid (SA) in roots, and additionally, the two treatments generated additive effects on SA accumulation. The application of the SA biosynthesis inhibitor 1-aminobenzotriazole decreased the grapevine tolerance to NaHCO3 induced by acetic acid. Taken together, the synthesis of acetic acid was induced by NaHCO3, and acetic acid treatment enhanced grapevine tolerance to NaHCO3 via SA.