Effect of seed pre-treatment by low-dose gamma-ray radiation on reducing ultraviolet-B-induced injury in ryegrass seedlings |
| |
| Authors: | Yinan Yao Jian Ren Qian Yi Zhang Zhuying Xuan |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 416, Chengdu 610041, P.R. China;2. Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, P.R. Chinayaoya@cib.ac.cn;4. Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, P.R. China;5. School of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, P.R. China |
| |
| Abstract: | SummaryRyegrass (Lolium perenne L., cv. ‘Victorian’) seedlings from seed pre-treated by low-dose gamma irradiation (LDG) were exposed to 6.5 kJ m–2 d–1 UV-B radiation under controlled environmental conditions. The high level of UV-B radiation caused serious plant injury, such as accelerated senescence, growth inhibition and lipid oxidation in cell membranes, but UV-B-induced injury was alleviated significantly by LDG-pretreatment, in particular by 20 Gy and 30 Gy (1 Gy = 1 J kg–1). Both ascorbic acid and UV-absorbing compounds were increased by LDG-pretreatment, and the latter were further increased 2-fold by UV-B irradiation. During UV-B exposure, the levels of photosynthetic pigments remained high in seedlings from seed pre-treated with 30 Gy. We suggest that increased plant tolerance to UV-B damage, caused by LDG-pretreatment, may be due, in part, to higher contents of ascorbic acid and UV-absorbing compounds, and the ability to maintain high levels of photosynthetic pigments. The possible implications of these observations are discussed. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
