Comparison of phenolic metabolism in wheat and maize plants under high light and chilling stresses

Since high light directly damages PSII, plants accumulate photo-screening compounds, such as phenolics, to prevent photodamage to PSII. To address this issue, both C۳ (wheat) and C۴ (maize) plants were used to study phenolic production in response to chilling (۴ ۰C) and high light (HL, ۸۵۰ ʽmol m-۲ s-۱) stresses. We found that the phenolic content of maize leaves showed significant increase in response to HL and chilling treatments. However, no major differences were observed in phenolic content in response to HL and chilling in wheat plants. We also measured changes in phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity of all plants and observed that PAL activity is not majorly affected by chilling and light intensities. We concluded that maize plants showed more tolerance to HL stress, which was associated with the screening of photoradiation by phenolic compounds.

کلیدواژه ها:

Chilling ، high light ، phenolic compounds ، Triticum aestivum ، Zea mays