Regulation of secondary antioxidants and carbohydrates by gamma-aminobutyric acid under salinity–alkalinity stress in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is known to improve tolerance against abiotic stresses but less studied for salinity–alkalinity stress (SAS). In the present study, GABA regulation of secondary antioxidants and carbohydrates was studied in rice in the presence and absence of SAS. About 1.5 mM GABA, 200 mM SAS, GABA + SAS were applied to 5-day old seedlings, and thereafter measurements were done in shoots and roots at 24, 48, 72 h in rice cultivars CSR 43 (tolerant) and Pusa 44 (susceptible). SAS was applied in molar ratio of 1:9:9:1 of NaCl:Na2SO4:NaHCO3:Na2CO3. Peroxidases (POX), polyphenol oxidases (PPO), lignin, flavonoids and phenolics from secondary metabolism and invertases, hexoses, sucrose and starch from carbohydrate metabolism were studied. Pusa 44 increased soluble POX, lignin, flavonoids in shoots but deficient in roots during stress period but improved under GABA + SAS. CSR 43 increased soluble POX, lignin, flavonoids in roots consistently throughout the stress period and also improved under GABA + SAS. Early increase in cell wall POX/PPO under SAS was seen in CSR 43 only, while Pusa 44 improved this under GABA + SAS. During stress period, CSR 43 showed an increasing trend of cell wall invertase activity, sucrose, sucrose-to-hexose ratio and starch in roots but Pusa 44 showed poor such response but Pusa 44 improved starch, sucrose, sucrose-to-hexose ratio by significant amount in both shoots and roots under GABA + SAS. The overall study indicated GABA as an important regulator of secondary and carbohydrate metabolisms. Besides improving secondary antioxidants, GABA under stress may improve cellular reserves like starch and protective sugars like sucrose.