Biochemical responses of sainfoin shoot and root tissues to drought stress in In vitro Culture

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the biochemical responses of the shoot and root tissues of sainfoin to drought stress under in vitro conditions. Seeds of sainfoin were cultured on MS (Murashige and Skoog) medium with addition of concentrations of PEG-6000 (50, 100, and 150 g/l). Biochemical analyzes (CAT, SOD, GR, and APX enzyme activity; proline, malondialdehyde (MDA) and chlorophyll contents) were carried out on the 35-day-old seedlings. The principal results of the study were that CAT and SOD antioxidant enzymes seemed to play a critical role in oxidative stress in both tissues of sainfoin seedlings. On the other hand, a significant decrease in GR activity and no change in APX activity detected in both tissues under stress. The contents of proline and MDA increased in both tissues while the chlorophyll contents decreased in the shoot tissue. Antioxidant enzyme activities seemed to be more active in the root tissue than the shoot tissue. Accumulation of proline was higher in the root tissue, while the MDA content was higher in the shoot tissue of the seedlings.