Antioxidant responses are associated with differences in drought tolerance between maize and sorghum
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Arid land institute
Abstract
Drought is a major cause of decreased yield in crops worldwide. Sorghum
(Sorghum bicolor) and maize (Zea mays) are two of the key crops in Africa
serving as human food as well as livestock feed. For improved crop production,
selection for drought resilient genotypes is imperative and the biological basis
for drought tolerance ought to be fully understood to achieve such selection.
Sorghum can tolerate drought better than maize and it is a key model for
studying the physiological and biochemical mechanisms conferring drought
tolerance. In this study, comparative analyses in terms of changes in growth,
chlorophyll content, ROS content, lipid peroxidation level and the activity of
antioxidant enzymes were investigated. Exposure to drought triggered ROS
generation in both plant species. However, sorghum showed less cell damage
under water deficit compared to maize. Furthermore, differences in antioxidant
enzyme activity between maize and sorghum were identified. Our findings
reveal differences in and association between the physiological and biochemical
responses of maize and sorghum to drought, which may be relevant for breeding
drought tolerant crops.
Description
Keywords
Reactive oxygen species, Antioxidant, Oxidative stress, Maize, Sorghum
Citation
Elbasheir, A. A. E., & Ndiko, L. (2021). Antioxidant responses are associated with differences in drought tolerance between maize and sorghum. Journal of Oasis Agriculture and Sustainable Development, 1-12