Antioxidative response of grafted and non-grafted eggplant seedlings under drought and salt stresses

Recent studies have shown that abiotic stress tolerance, including drought and salinity, can be improved by grafting. In this study, drought and salt-sensitive (Artvin Hopa) and Kemer) and salt-tolerant genotypes (Mardin Kiziltepe and Burdur Merkez) were grafted on salt tolerant rootstocks (Koksal, Vista), and effects of these rootstocks on scion performance under drought and salinity were examined in terms of chlorophyll, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities. Plants were grown in the hydroponic system and subjected to drought (non stress-control, drought stress: 15% PEG-6000) or salt (non stress-control, salt stress: 100 mM NaCl) stresses. Under salt or drought stresses, the chlorophyll content decreased considerably in all plants, but malondialdehyde concentration increased. However, when plants were grafted onto the rootstocks, they were less affected than the non-grafted plants under stress conditions. These effects were more evident in Koksal than Vista. The enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase and ascorbate peroxidase increased with stress conditions in all non-grafted plants.