Influence of Peg-induced Drought Stress on Antioxidant Components of Callus Tissue of Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) Ecotypes

Abstract

Background: Drought is one of the important abiotic stress factors that restrict plant development. Sainfoin is known to be relatively tolerant of drought. However, there are limited reports on the effects of drought stress on antioxidant components of Onobrychis species and/or ecotypes.

Methods: To determine drought stress effects on antioxidant components of 4 sainfoin ecotypes ("Kocas", "Malya", "Altinova" and "Ulas"), callus tissue was grown on MS medium enriched with 200 g l(-1) PEG-6000.

Result: Callus of the sainfoin ecotypes, cultured on a medium having 200 g l(-1) PEG-6000, showed significant increases in antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, GR (except in "Ulas" ecotype) and APX). However, the PEG induced increase in the accumulation of MDA and proline in callus tissue of all sainfoin ecotypes. The findings of the present study show that in terms of the increasing rate of antioxidant components under drought stress, the "Kocas" ecotype seemed to be the best.