Plant Diversity ›› 2007, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (02): 231-236.

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Involvement of Antioxidant Systems in Heat-Shock-Induced Heat Tolerance in Maize Seedlings

LI Zhong-Guang, GONG Ming   

  1. School of Life Sciences , Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650092 , China
  • Received:2006-06-14 Online:2007-04-25 Published:2007-04-25
  • Contact: GONG Ming

Abstract: Heat-shock pretreatment at 42℃ for 4 h and recovery at 26 .5℃ for 4 hgreatly improved greatly survival percentage of maize seedlings under high temperature stress . Heat-shock pretreatment and recovery at 26. 5℃ for 4 h significantly enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes CAT, SOD, GR and APX and the levels of antioxidants ASA and GSH in maize seedlings . The seedlings with heat-shock retained higher activities of antioxidant enzymes and higher levels of antioxidants than that without heat-shock during heat stress and recovery , indicating that the increase of activities of antioxidant
enzymes and levels of antioxidants is the physiological basis for the formation of heat tolerance induced by heat-shock in maize seedlings .

Key words: Maize ( Zea mays) seedlings