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Functional Plant Biology Functional Plant Biology Society
Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) enhances rye (Secale cereale) seedling resistance to combined freeze-thaw and cadmium stress

Huixin Wang A B C , Guozhang Bao https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0329-8001 A B C * , Lingzhi Tian A B C , Simeng Chen A B C , Yanan Xu A B C , Guomei Li D and Hongwei Zhao E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment of the Ministry of Education (Jilin University), Changchun, China.

B Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Environment, Changchun, China.

C College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.

D Yushu Forestry and Grassland Comprehensive Service Center, No. 89, Qionglong East Road, Yushu City, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture 815000, China.

E The Administration of Jingyu Water Conservation, Jingyu, Jilin Province 135200, China.

* Correspondence to: baogz@jlu.edu.cn

Handling Editor: Jian Feng Ma

Functional Plant Biology 51, FP24205 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP24205
Submitted: 13 August 2024  Accepted: 28 September 2024  Published: 14 October 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Freeze-thaw is a common stress at high altitudes in northern China. There is a risk of cadmium (Cd) contamination in the region. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a natural product that regulates plant growth. Rye (Secale cereale) was used as research material to investigate the physiological effects of exogenous GABA on rye seedlings under the single and combined stresses of freeze-thaw and cadmium. The results showed that the combined stress severely inhibited shoot length, root length, fresh weight, and dry weight, increased malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide contents, and significantly decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Foliar application of 5 mM GABA alleviated the negative effects of stress on seedling growth, increased soluble protein content, and reduced malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide contents. Exogenous GABA application also enhanced the activities of SOD and peroxidase (POD). Additionally, the presence of exogenous GABA activated the GABA metabolic process and encouraged the accumulation of phytochelatins, glutathione, and non-protein thiol. These results indicate that exogenous GABA can effectively improve the resistance of rye seedlings to freeze-thaw and Cd by regulating the antioxidant enzyme system and enhancing its own detoxification mechanism, and they provide a basis for future applications of exogenous GABA, which is beneficial for ecological protection.

Keywords: cadmium, combined stress, correlation analysis, exogenous, freeze-thaw, hierarchical clustering analysis, resistance, γ-aminobutyric acid.

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