Regulation on Antioxidant Defense System in Rice Seedlings (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica cv. 'Pathumthani 1') Under Salt Stress by Paclobutrazol Foliar Application

The present study investigated the effect of paclobutrazol (PBZ) foliar application on oxidative metabolism in salt-stressed rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. 'Pathumthani 1'; PTT1) seedlings. Fourteen-days-old rice seedlings, grown in the pots were pretreated with 15 mg L-1 paclobutrazol supplied as foliar spray. One week after pretreatment, the rice seedlings were exposed to salt stress (150 mM NaCl) for 12 days. It was observed that salinity enhanced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide radical (O2(center dot-)), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radical (OH center dot). It also increased reactive oxygen species-associated oxidative damage, measured in terms of lipoxygenase activity, conjugated dienes, malondialdehyde content and relative electrolyte leakage. Increase in these parameters was associated with the decrease in the activity of enzymatic antioxidants [superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT)] and the levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants [ascorbic acid (AsA), total glutathione and alpha-tocopherol contents). Pretreatment of seedlings with paclobutrazol significantly lowered reactive oxygen species accumulation and membrane damage (p < 0.05), which can be correlated with the increased antioxidant activity (both enzymatic and non-enzymatic traits) under salt stress. The study concluded that paclobutrazol-treatment up-regulates the antioxidant defense system and recuperates the salt-induced oxidative damage in 'Pathumthani 1' rice seedlings under salt stress.