SpringerLink
Log in

Exogenous proline effects on water relations and ions contents in leaves and roots of young olive

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Amino Acids Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The ability of exogenous compatible solutes, such as proline, to counteract salt inhibitory effects was investigated in 2-year-old olive trees (Olea europaea L. cv. Chemlali) subjected to different saline water irrigation levels supplied or not with exogenous proline. Leaf water relations [relative water content (RWC), water potential], photosynthetic activity, leaf chlorophyll content, and starch contents were measured in young and old leaves. Salt ions (Na+, K+, and Ca2+), proline and soluble sugars contents were determined in leaf and root tissues. Supplementary proline significantly mitigated the adverse effects of salinity via the improvement of photosynthetic activity (Pn), RWC, chlorophyll and carotenoid, and starch contents. Pn of young leaves in the presence of 25 mM proline was at 1.18 and 1.38 times higher than the values recorded under moderate (SS1) and high salinity (SS2) treatments, respectively. Further, the proline supply seems to have a more important relaxing effect on the photosynthetic chain in young than in old leaves of salt-stressed olive plants. The differential pattern of proline content between young and old leaves suggests that there would be a difference between these tissues in distinguishing between the proline taken from the growing media and that produced as a result of salinity stress. Besides, the large reduction in Na+ accumulation in leaves and roots in the presence of proline could be due to its interference in osmotic adjustment process and/or its dilution by proline supply. Moreover, the lower accumulation of Na+ in proline-treated plants, compared to their corresponding salinity treatment, displayed the improved effect of proline on the ability of roots to exclude the salt ions from the xylem sap flowing to the shoot, and thus better growth rates.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Canada)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

Chl:

Chlorophyll

CP:

Control plants

ΨLw :

Leaf water potential

Pn:

Net photosynthesis

RWC:

Leaf relative water content

SS1:

Moderate salinity, plants irrigated with water containing 100 mM NaCl

SS2:

High salinity, plants irrigated with water containing 200 mM NaCl

SS1 + P1:

Plants irrigated with water containing 100 mM NaCl plus 25 mM proline

SS1 + P2:

Plants irrigated with water containing 100 mM NaCl plus 50 mM proline

SS2 + P1:

Plants irrigated with water containing 200 mM NaCl plus 25 mM proline

SS2 + P2:

Plants irrigated with water containing 200 mM NaCl plus 50 mM proline

References

  • Akram MS, Athar HR, Ashraf M (2007) Improving growth and yield of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) by foliar application of potassium hydroxide (KOH) under salt stress. Pak J Bot 39:234–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnon DI (1949) Copper enzymes in isolated chloroplasts. Polyphenoloxidase in Beta vulgaris. Plant Physiol 24:1–15

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ashraf M, Foolad MR (2007) Roles of glycine betaine and proline in improving plant abiotic stress resistance. Environ Exp Bot 59:206–216

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ashraf M, Athar HR, Harris PJC, Kwon TR (2008) Some prospective strategies for improving crop salt tolerance. Adv Agric 97:45–109

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bates LS, Waldren RP, Teare IK (1973) Rapid determination of free proline for water stress studies. Plant Soil 39:205–208

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ben Ahmed Ch, Ben Rouina B, Sensoy S, Boukhris M, Ben Abdallah F (2009a) Changes in gas exchange, proline accumulation and antioxidative enzyme activities in three olive cultivars under contrasting water availability regimes. Environ Exp Bot 67:345–352

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ben Ahmed Ch, Ben Rouina B, Sensoy S, Boukhris M, Ben Abdullah F (2009b) Saline water irrigation effects on antioxidant defense system and proline accumulation in leaves and roots of field-grown olive. J Agric Food Chem 57:11484–11490

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ben Ahmed Ch, Ben Rouina B, Sensoy S, Boukhris M, Ben Abdullah F (2010) Exogenous proline effects on photosynthetic performances and antioxidant defense system of young olive. J Agric Food Chem 58:4216–4222

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chartzoulakis K (2005) Salinity and olive: growth, salt tolerance, photosynthesis and yield. Agric Water Manag 78:108–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chartzoulakis K, Loupassaki M, Bertaki M, Androulakis I (2002) Effects of NaCl salinity on growth, ion content and CO2 assimilation rate of six olive cultivars. Sci Hortic 96:235–247

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Flowers TJ, Troke PF, Yeo AR (1977) The mechanism of salt tolerance in halophytes. Annu Rev Plant Physiol 28:875–884

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gadallah MAA (1995) Effects of water stress, abscissic acid and proline on cotton plants. J Arid Environ 30:315–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gucci R, Lombardini L, Tattini M (1997) Analysis of leaf water relations in leaves of two olive (Olea europaea) cultivars differing in tolerance to salinity. Tree Physiol 17:13–21

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heuer B (2003) Influence of exogenous application of proline and glycinebetaine on growth of salt stressed tomato plants. Plant Sci 165:693–699

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoque MA, Okuma E, Banu MNA, Nakamara Y, Shimoishi Y, Murata Y (2007) Exogenous proline mitigates the detrimental effects of salt stress more than exogenous betaine by increasing antioxidant enzyme activities. J Plant Physiol 164:553–561

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kaya C, Levent Tuna A, Ashraf M, Altunlu H (2007) Improved salt tolerance of melon (Cucumis melo L.) by the addition of proline and potassium nitrate. Environ Exp Bot 60:397–403

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khedr AHA, Abbes MA, Wahid AAA, Quick WP, Abogadallah GM (2003) Proline induces the expression of salt stress responsive proteins and may improve the adaptation of pancratium maritimum L. to salt stress. J Exp Bot 54:2553–2562

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann S, Funck D, Szabados LS, Rentsch D (2010) Proline transport and metabolism in plants. Amino Acids. doi:10.1007/s00726-010-0525-3

  • Lone MI, Kuech JSH, Wyn Jones RG, Bright SWJ (1987) Influence of proline and glycine betaine on salt tolerance of cultured barley embryos. J Exp Bot 38:479–490

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loreto F, Centritto M, Chartzoulakis K (2003) Photosynthetic limitations in olive cultivars with different sensitivity to salt stress. Plant Cell Environ 26:595–601

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mansour MMF (1998) Protection of plasma membrane on onion epidermal cells by glycine betaine and proline against NaCl stress. Plant Physiol Biochem 36:767–772

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Munns R, Tester M (2008) Mechanisms of salinity tolerance. Annu Rev Plant Biol 59:651–681

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nilson JP (1943) Rapid determination of starch. Ind Eng Chem 15:3–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Okuma E, Murakami Y, Shimoishi Y, Tada M, Murata Y (2004) Effects of exogenous application of proline and betaine on the growth of tobacco cultured cells under saline solutions. Soil Sci Plant Nutr 50:1301–1305

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parida AK, Das B (2005) Salt tolerance and salinity effects on plants. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 60:324–349

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Phang J, Donald S, Pandhare J, Liu Y (2008) The metabolism of proline, a stress substrate, modulates carcinogenic pathways. Amino Acids 35:681–690

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raza SH, Athar HR, Ashraf M, Hameed A (2007) GB-induced modulation of antioxidant enzymes activities and ion accumulation in two wheat cultivars differing in salt tolerance. Environ Exp Bot 59:206–216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robyt JF, White BJ (1987) Biochemical technique: theory and practices. Waveland Press, Prospect Heights, pp 40–72

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy D, Basu N, Bhunia A, Banerjee SK (1993) Counteraction of exogenous L-proline with NaCl in salt-sensitive cultivar of rice. Biol Plant 35:69–72

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Serraj R, Sinclair TR (2002) Osmolyte accumulation: can it really help increase crop yield under drought conditions? Plant Cell Environ 25:331–341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tattini M, Gucci R, Coradeschi MA, Ponzio C, Everard JD (1995) Growth, gas exchange and ion content in Olea europaea plants during salinity stress and subsequent relief. Physiol Plant 95:203–210

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tester M, Davenport R (2003) Na+ tolerance and Na+ transport in higher plants. Ann Bot 91:503–527

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Todaka D, Matsushima H, Morohashi Y (2000) Water stress enhances beta-amylase activity in cucumber cotyledons. J Exp Bot 51:739–745

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao Y, Aspinall D, Paleg IG (1992) Protection of membrane integrity in Medicago sativa L. by glycinebetaine against the effects of freezing. J Plant Physiol 140:541–543

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Y, Zhu W, Bellur PS, Rewinkel D, Becker DF (2008) Direct linking of metabolism and gene expression in the proline utilization A protein from Escherichia coli. Amino Acids 35:711–718

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Financial support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries (IRESA, Tunisia) is highly appreciated. Authors express their debt to the editor and to two anonymous reviewers for their interest and comments to improve the manuscript quality. The Authors express their thanks to Mr Soua N. for his technical assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Plant Biology and Ecophysiology in Arid Area, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences of Sfax, 3000, Sfax, Tunisia

    Ch. Ben Ahmed, S. Magdich, M. Boukhris & F. Ben Abdullah

  2. Laboratory of Improvement of Olive and Fruit Trees’ Productivity, Olive Tree Institute, Sfax, Tunisia

    B. Ben Rouina

  3. Technical University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey

    S. Sensoy

Authors
  1. Ch. Ben Ahmed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. Magdich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. B. Ben Rouina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. S. Sensoy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. Boukhris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. F. Ben Abdullah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ch. Ben Ahmed.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ben Ahmed, C., Magdich, S., Ben Rouina, B. et al. Exogenous proline effects on water relations and ions contents in leaves and roots of young olive. Amino Acids 40, 565–573 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-010-0677-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-010-0677-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation