Changes in the electrophoretic spectra of antioxidant enzymes in nitrate-fed and nitrogen-fixing soybean subjected to gradual water stress

Abstract

The effect of two sources of nitrogen (nitrogen fixation or nitrate assimilation) and gradual water stress on theelectrophoretic spectra of peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase was studied in soybean leaves. An increase in H2O2production was observed, especially after the prolonged drought treatment. At 50% drought the activity of anionic peroxidase activity for isoenzymes Nos. 2 and 7+8 significantly increased (by 54 and 18%, respectively) in the leaves of nitrate-fed plants compared to the control plants; for nitrogen-fixing plants these values were 31 and 14%, respectively. In the case of cationic peroxidases, the application of 50% drought led to the inhibition of the moderately fast isoenzymes (Nos. 2 and 3, with Rm 0.5 and 0.65, respectively) and the activation of the fastest moving isoenzyme (No. 4, with Rm 0.8) in nitrate-fed soybean. The same tendency was observed in the leaves of nitrogen-fixing plants. The effect of restricted soil humidity on SOD activity was expressed as a change in the activity of some of the isoenzymes. There was a clear tendency for the SOD isoenzyme activity to increase after the exposure of nitrate-fed and nitrogen-fixing soybean plants to 50% drought treatment. high catalase activity was registered in control nitrate-fed plants. Generally the catalase isoenzyme activity in control nitrogen-fixing plants had low values. Both intensities of water stress (30 and 50% drought) caused an increase in the catalase activity, and this increase was much higher for nitrogen-fixing plants. Therefore, soybean plants responded to drought treatment by changes in the antioxidant enzyme activity, as these changes were partially dependent on the source of nitrogen. The results suggested that nitrogen-fixing soybean plants were more resistant to gradual water stress.