Water deficit-induced membrane injury and oxidative stress in two barley genotypes

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to examine the effect of water deficit on membrane injuries, superoxide radical generation and lipid peroxidation in the leaves of two barley genotypes. Six-day-old seedlings of the cv. Aramir and line R567 were used in the experiments. According to our earlier work these genotypes significantly differ in the level of membrane injuries under water deficit conditions. Water stress was applied directly to leaves or to roots. The stress caused considerable membrane injuries in the leaves of all genotypes investigated.The percentage membrane injury was higher in the line R567 than in the cv. Aramir. Water stress imposed on leaves caused higher membrane injuries than water stress imposed on roots. The water stress treatment followed by an oxidative stress in the leaves. Line R567 having noticeably larger membrane injuries also exhibited a higher level of superoxide radical generation than the cv. Aramir. The level of lipid peroxidation increased in the both genotypes under the conditions of water stress imposed on leaves, but not on roots.