Abstract
Many plants accumulate cryoprotectant compounds in response to low temperatures such as Glycine betaine (GB). GB is synthesized by a simple two‐step pathway from the primary metabolite choline (Cho). Exogenous applications can improve the growth and survival of numerous species under several abiotic stresses. Although GB and Cho are studied in various plants, only a small number of studies investigated their roles during abiotic stress in the Olea europaea L. In addition, no study has yet investigated effects of GB and Cho application on phospholipid levels. Hence, the aim of the present study was to elucidate whether accumulation and the alterations in the phospholipids were related to GB and Cho applications in cold‐tolerant (Domat) and cold‐sensitive (Manzanilla) cultivars in non‐acclimated stages. For this purpose, 50 mM of GB and Cho solutions were applied as a foliar spray on leaves of two year‐old olive genotypes for three weeks. Leaf samples were collected for evaluations of freezing tolerance and phospholipid analysis. Results revealed that total phospolipids were greater in cv. Domat than those in cv. Manzanilla parallelling to their cold hardiness. In addition, total phospholipid content was greater in GB‐applied samples than that in Cho‐applied samples. Consequently, Cho and GB applications may protect olive leaves by altering cellular phospholipid content.
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