It has been suggested that antioxidants play a role in regulating or modulating senescence dynamics of plant tissues. Ethylene has been shown to promote early plant senescence while controlled atmospheres (CA; reduced O2 levels and elevated CO2 levels) can delay its onset and/or severity. In order to examine the possible importance of various antioxidants in the regulation of senescence, detach...

Various abiotic stresses lead to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants which are highly reactive and toxic and cause damage to proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and DNA which ultimately results in oxidative stress. The ROS comprises both free radical (O(2)(-), superoxide radicals; OH, hydroxyl radical; HO(2), perhydroxy radical and RO, alkoxy radicals) and non-radical (mol...

Drought is considered one of the most acute environmental stresses presently affecting agriculture. We studied the role of exogenous glutathione (GSH) in conferring drought stress tolerance in mung bean (Vigna radiata L. cv. Binamoog-1) seedlings by examining the antioxidant defence and methylglyoxal (MG) detoxification systems and physiological features. Six-day-old seedlings were exposed to d...

Hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) functions as a signal molecule in plants under abiotic and biotic stress. In this study, the role of exogenous H(2)O(2) in improving drought tolerance in two soybean cultivars (Glycine max L. Merrill) differing in their tolerance to drought was evaluated. Plants were grown in plastic pots with normal irrigation in a phytotron. Four weeks after radicle emergence, eit...

A large number of studies have shown the existence of cross-tolerance in plants, but the exact physiological and biochemical mechanism(s) is poorly understood. In this study, heat-shock (42 °C, 5 h) induced salinity and drought tolerance and possible involvement of antioxidative and glyoxalase systems were investigated in mustard (Brassica campestris L.) seedlings. Seven-day-old seedlings were ...

One of the major limitations to plant growth and yield in acidic soils is the prevalence of soluble aluminum ions (Al(3+)) in the soil solution, which can irreversible damage the root apex cells. Nonetheless, many Al-tolerant species overcome Al toxicity and are well-adapted to acidic soils, being able to complete their life cycle under such stressful conditions. At this point, the complex phys...

Front cover: Flowering Iris germanica (upper picture) and Iris pseudacorus. Corresponding electron micrographs show the formation of hydrogen peroxide under hypoxia on the plasma membrane and in the cell wall. ABBREVIATIONS AA ascorbic acid ADH alcohol dehydrogenase ANP anaerobically induced proteins CD conjugated dienes CT conjugated rienes CsA cyclosporin A DHA dehydroascorbic acid DHAR dehyd...

*Correspondence: Aryadeep Roychoudhury, Post Graduate Department of Biotechnology, St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), 30, Mother Teresa Sarani, Kolkata 700016, West Bengal, India e-mail: [email protected] Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were initially recognized as toxic by-products of aerobic metabolism. In recent years, it has become apparent that ROS plays an important signaling role in pl...