Hydrogen peroxide reduces heat‐induced yield losses in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) by protecting cellular membrane damage

Abstract

AbstractWe investigated the effect of various growth substances such as hydrogen peroxide, salicylic acid (SA), moringa leaf‐extract (MLE) and ascorbic acid (ASA) on leaf physiology and seed cotton yield (SCY) of heat‐stressed cotton. Cotton plants were exposed to elevated temperatures at three reproductive stages, either by staggering planting time in the field or by increasing growth cabinet temperatures (38/24°C and 45/30°C) in glasshouse. Elevated temperature at any reproductive phase significantly damaged cellular membrane and reduced SCY. Plants exposed to 38/24°C and 45/30°C in glasshouse produced 63% and 22% lower SCY, respectively, compared with plants under optimal temperature ((32/20°C). In response to high temperature, cotton plants up‐regulated activities of anti‐oxidative enzymes e.g. peroxidase and ascorbic acid. However, this defensive system could not protect cellular membrane of stressed plants from extreme temperature (38 and 45°C). In contrast, growth substances such as H2O2, ASA and MLE significantly increased anti‐oxidative enzymes activity to an extent, which reduced heat‐induced damage to cellular membrane. No significant effect of any regulator was observed on SCY under optimum temperatures; although H2O2, MLE and ASA significantly increased SCY of heat‐stressed cotton. Hydrogen peroxide increased SCY of April and May thermal regimes crops by 16% (averaged across both sowing dates) under field, while it caused 14% and 20% increase in SCY of plants exposed to sub (38/24°C) and supra optimal (45/30°C) thermal regimes under glasshouse. We concluded that growth regulators, specifically, H2O2 can protect cotton crops from heat‐induced cellular membrane damage by up‐regulating antioxidant defense system.