Exogenous myo-inositol enhances drought tolerance in maize seedlings by antioxidant defense, and photosynthetic efficiency
IntroductionDrought stress severely impairs maize (Zea mays L.) production, particularly during the seedling stage.MethodsIn this study, we aimed to investigate the role of exogenous myo-inositol (MI) in alleviating drought stress in maize seedlings. We established four treatments: control (CK), MI...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1609338/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1839655627188600832 |
|---|---|
| author | Yuqi Liu Hao Sun Hao Sun Hao Sun Xiaonan Guo Tianyuan Song Tianyuan Song Zongling Yu Wei Li Yaxin Lin Yanci Zhou Deguang Yang |
| author_facet | Yuqi Liu Hao Sun Hao Sun Hao Sun Xiaonan Guo Tianyuan Song Tianyuan Song Zongling Yu Wei Li Yaxin Lin Yanci Zhou Deguang Yang |
| author_sort | Yuqi Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionDrought stress severely impairs maize (Zea mays L.) production, particularly during the seedling stage.MethodsIn this study, we aimed to investigate the role of exogenous myo-inositol (MI) in alleviating drought stress in maize seedlings. We established four treatments: control (CK), MI application under normal irrigation (G), drought stress (D), and MI application under drought stress (DG).ResultsThe results demonstrate that MI significantly restored growth parameters under drought conditions, increasing shoot and root biomass by 40.74% and 28.30%, respectively, on Day 7. Additionally, MI enhanced photosynthetic efficiency (net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (gs), and photosystem II efficiency (Fv/Fm)) and upregulated osmotic regulators (e.g. proline and soluble sugars) in the leaves and roots. Furthermore, antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and glutathione reductase (GR)) and ascorbic acid–glutathione (ASA–GSH) cycle components were synergistically activated by MI, reducing oxidative damage, as indicated by decreases in malondialdehyde (MDA), H2O2, and O2·-. Principal component analysis highlighted the pivotal roles of osmotic adjustment and antioxidant systems in drought mitigation.DiscussionThese findings reveal that MI is a potent inducer of drought resilience in maize, offering a novel strategy for maize cultivation under water scarcity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b98fe20fca474de89cd878fb65bdc3c9 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1664-462X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-b98fe20fca474de89cd878fb65bdc3c92025-06-25T08:16:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2025-06-011610.3389/fpls.2025.16093381609338Exogenous myo-inositol enhances drought tolerance in maize seedlings by antioxidant defense, and photosynthetic efficiencyYuqi Liu0Hao Sun1Hao Sun2Hao Sun3Xiaonan Guo4Tianyuan Song5Tianyuan Song6Zongling Yu7Wei Li8Yaxin Lin9Yanci Zhou10Deguang Yang11Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, ChinaKey Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Smart Farm Technologies and Systems, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, ChinaKey Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Smart Farm Technologies and Systems, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, ChinaHeilongjiang Provincial Ecological Environment Monitoring Center, Harbin, Heilongjiang, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, ChinaKey Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, ChinaKey Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, ChinaKey Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, ChinaIntroductionDrought stress severely impairs maize (Zea mays L.) production, particularly during the seedling stage.MethodsIn this study, we aimed to investigate the role of exogenous myo-inositol (MI) in alleviating drought stress in maize seedlings. We established four treatments: control (CK), MI application under normal irrigation (G), drought stress (D), and MI application under drought stress (DG).ResultsThe results demonstrate that MI significantly restored growth parameters under drought conditions, increasing shoot and root biomass by 40.74% and 28.30%, respectively, on Day 7. Additionally, MI enhanced photosynthetic efficiency (net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (gs), and photosystem II efficiency (Fv/Fm)) and upregulated osmotic regulators (e.g. proline and soluble sugars) in the leaves and roots. Furthermore, antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and glutathione reductase (GR)) and ascorbic acid–glutathione (ASA–GSH) cycle components were synergistically activated by MI, reducing oxidative damage, as indicated by decreases in malondialdehyde (MDA), H2O2, and O2·-. Principal component analysis highlighted the pivotal roles of osmotic adjustment and antioxidant systems in drought mitigation.DiscussionThese findings reveal that MI is a potent inducer of drought resilience in maize, offering a novel strategy for maize cultivation under water scarcity.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1609338/fulldrought stressmaizeseedlingsexogenous myo-inositolosmotic adjustment |
| spellingShingle | Yuqi Liu Hao Sun Hao Sun Hao Sun Xiaonan Guo Tianyuan Song Tianyuan Song Zongling Yu Wei Li Yaxin Lin Yanci Zhou Deguang Yang Exogenous myo-inositol enhances drought tolerance in maize seedlings by antioxidant defense, and photosynthetic efficiency Frontiers in Plant Science drought stress maize seedlings exogenous myo-inositol osmotic adjustment |
| title | Exogenous myo-inositol enhances drought tolerance in maize seedlings by antioxidant defense, and photosynthetic efficiency |
| title_full | Exogenous myo-inositol enhances drought tolerance in maize seedlings by antioxidant defense, and photosynthetic efficiency |
| title_fullStr | Exogenous myo-inositol enhances drought tolerance in maize seedlings by antioxidant defense, and photosynthetic efficiency |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exogenous myo-inositol enhances drought tolerance in maize seedlings by antioxidant defense, and photosynthetic efficiency |
| title_short | Exogenous myo-inositol enhances drought tolerance in maize seedlings by antioxidant defense, and photosynthetic efficiency |
| title_sort | exogenous myo inositol enhances drought tolerance in maize seedlings by antioxidant defense and photosynthetic efficiency |
| topic | drought stress maize seedlings exogenous myo-inositol osmotic adjustment |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1609338/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yuqiliu exogenousmyoinositolenhancesdroughttoleranceinmaizeseedlingsbyantioxidantdefenseandphotosyntheticefficiency AT haosun exogenousmyoinositolenhancesdroughttoleranceinmaizeseedlingsbyantioxidantdefenseandphotosyntheticefficiency AT haosun exogenousmyoinositolenhancesdroughttoleranceinmaizeseedlingsbyantioxidantdefenseandphotosyntheticefficiency AT haosun exogenousmyoinositolenhancesdroughttoleranceinmaizeseedlingsbyantioxidantdefenseandphotosyntheticefficiency AT xiaonanguo exogenousmyoinositolenhancesdroughttoleranceinmaizeseedlingsbyantioxidantdefenseandphotosyntheticefficiency AT tianyuansong exogenousmyoinositolenhancesdroughttoleranceinmaizeseedlingsbyantioxidantdefenseandphotosyntheticefficiency AT tianyuansong exogenousmyoinositolenhancesdroughttoleranceinmaizeseedlingsbyantioxidantdefenseandphotosyntheticefficiency AT zonglingyu exogenousmyoinositolenhancesdroughttoleranceinmaizeseedlingsbyantioxidantdefenseandphotosyntheticefficiency AT weili exogenousmyoinositolenhancesdroughttoleranceinmaizeseedlingsbyantioxidantdefenseandphotosyntheticefficiency AT yaxinlin exogenousmyoinositolenhancesdroughttoleranceinmaizeseedlingsbyantioxidantdefenseandphotosyntheticefficiency AT yancizhou exogenousmyoinositolenhancesdroughttoleranceinmaizeseedlingsbyantioxidantdefenseandphotosyntheticefficiency AT deguangyang exogenousmyoinositolenhancesdroughttoleranceinmaizeseedlingsbyantioxidantdefenseandphotosyntheticefficiency |