Effects of Exogenous Proline on the Growth,Physiological Characteristics,and Proline Metabolism of Cotton Seedlings under Boron Deficiency Stress

Objective] This study investigates the effects of exogenous proline on the growth, physiological responses, and proline metabolism of cotton (Ekang No.8) seedlings treated with varying boron (B) concentrations. Method] We conducted a randomized experiment with six treatments using the hydroponic method in a greenhouse at Huazhong Agricultural University. We applied three different concentrations of boron, including 0.02 μmol·L^－1 (low-concentration B), 2.5 μmol·L^－1 (medium-concentration B), and 100 μmol·L^－1 (sufficient-concentration B). The first two are boron-deficient treatments. We also applied an exogenous proline treatment at 20 μmol·L^－1(0 μmol·L^－1 as control). When any significant difference among the treatments were observed, the related indicator was measured. Result] The results showed that exogenous proline inhibited the growth of cotton seedlings under sufficient-concentration B treatment while promoting the absorption of B by roots under low-concentration B treatment. The application of exogenous proline to the seedlings under low-concentration B treatment reduced the contents of proline and H₂O₂ in leaves but increased the accumulation of MDA and H₂O₂ in roots. The activities of SOD and antioxidant enzymes (APX) in the roots and leaves were dramatically enhanced. Conversely, POD activity reduced significantly and there was no significant change in CAT activity relative to low-concentration B treatment. More importantly, we found that the application of exogenous proline under B deficiency increased the activities of P5CS, P5CR, OAT (synthetase), and PRODH (degrading enzyme) in proline metabolic pathways. Conclusion] Applying exogenous proline under sufficient-B concentration inhibits growth. The application of proline to seedlings under low-B concentration promotes the absorption of B by roots, increases the activity of APX, and decreases the membrane lipid peroxidation in leaves. A B deficiency leads to proline accumulation in plants. The addition of proline under low-B concentration can reduce the proline content in leaves, which is caused by affecting the critical synthetase and catabolic enzyme activities in the proline metabolism pathway (Glu and Orn pathway). The main reason for this occurrence is the significant increase of proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) activity.