Salicylic acid (SA) is a signal molecule that mediates many biotic and abiotic stress-induced physiological responses in plants. In the current study the protective effects of SA on cold stress-caused oxidative damage and photosynthesis inhibition in jasmine plants (Jasminum sambac) were examined. | Turkish Journal of Biology Turk J Biol (2015) 39: 241-247 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article Salicylic acid alleviates cold-induced photosynthesis inhibition and oxidative stress in Jasminum sambac 1 1 1 1 2, Han CAI , Mengying HE , Kun MA , Yonggao HUANG , Yun WANG * College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, . China 2 School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, . China 1 Received: Accepted: Published Online: Printed: Abstract: Salicylic acid (SA) is a signal molecule that mediates many biotic and abiotic stress-induced physiological responses in plants. In the current study the protective effects of SA on cold stress-caused oxidative damage and photosynthesis inhibition in jasmine plants (Jasminum sambac) were examined. Jasmine seedlings were pretreated with 100 µM SA for 3 days and then subjected to cold stress (4 °C) for 15 days. The amounts of superoxide radicals (O2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) significantly increased in leaves of plants exposed to cold stress and resulted in oxidative damage, indicated by an increase in malondialdehyde accumulation and membrane leakage. The total chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance (gs), photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), and net photosynthesis rate (Pn) were significantly reduced in response to the cold treatment. However, plants pretreated with exogenous SA (100 µM) exhibited significantly higher photosynthesis-related parameters and antioxidant enzyme activities (peroxidase and catalase) and lower reactive oxygen species levels compared with the cold control. It was therefore concluded that SA could alleviate the cold treatment-caused oxidative stress and photosynthesis decline by enhancing the activities of antioxidant enzymes in leaves of jasmine. Key words: Cold stress, jasmine, salicylic acid, photosynthesis, oxidative damage 1.
