title: Photosynthesis, antioxidant system and gene expression of bermudagrass in response to low temperature and salt stress.
abstract: There is widespread distribution of salinized lands in northern China. Harnessing such land is essential to environmental health. Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] has the potential to improve the salinized lands. However, low temperature remarkably limits the growth of bermudagrass in winter. Currently, there is no information about the interaction of cold and salt in this plant. Hence, the objectives of this study were to figure out the effects of combined cold and salinity stress on bermudagrass. In this study, 4 °C and 200 mM salt solution was used as cold and salt treatments respectively while 4 °C along with 200 mM salt solution were applied as combined stress. After 5 days treatment, bermudagrass displayed a dramatic decline in the turf quality and chlorophyll content, but higher malonaldehyde, electrolyte leakage, hydrogen peroxide content, antioxidant enzyme activity in the combined stress regime as compared to cold or salt treated alone. Analysis of chlorophyll a revealed that the combined stress aggravated stress-induced inhibition of photosystem II. In addition, the expressions of stress-related genes were up-regulated with a lower expression level when cold and salt applied together. In summary, the grass exposed to combined stress presented a relatively lower stress tolerance and suffered a more severe damage than grass grown in the other regimes. These findings are crucial for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of cold and salt combined stress in bermudagrass, and provide information for breeding programs to select and develop bermudagrass cultivars that are suitable for improvement of the northern China salinized land.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Ao
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Zhengrong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Aoyue
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Jibiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Margaret Mukami
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gitau
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Erick
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Amombo
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China. Chenliang1034@126.com.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China. Chenliang1034@126.com.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China. jfu@wbgcas.cn.
authors.forename: Jinmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D000077194:Chlorophyll A; D003080:Cold Temperature; D031744:Cynodon / Q000502:physiology*; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex / Q000502:physiology; D055049:Salt Tolerance; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex; D002734:Chlorophyll; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D000077194:Chlorophyll A
keywords: Antioxidant defense systems; Cold stress; Cynodon dactylon; Gene expression; Photosystem II; Salt stress