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The relationship between EDU pre-treatment and C2H4 evolution in ozonated pea plants
B A Zilinskas1, B Greenhalgh-Weidman, E Brennan
1Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology and the Department of Plant Pathology, Cook College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA.
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Ethylenediurea (EDU) protects pea plants from ozone damage by preventing ethylene production during pollutant exposure. This finding clarifies the mechanism of ozone tolerance in plants.
Area of Science:
- Plant Physiology
- Environmental Toxicology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Ozone is a major air pollutant causing significant damage to plants.
- Ethylene (C2H4) production is a known plant response to ozone stress.
- The exact role of ethylene in ozone-induced phytotoxicity is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of ethylene in ozone tolerance induced by ethylenediurea (EDU).
- To determine if EDU prevents ozone damage by inhibiting ethylene synthesis or its interaction with ozone.
Main Methods:
- Pea plants ('Progress No. 9') were treated with EDU (150 ppm) via soil drench.
- Plants were exposed to acute ozone (0.25 ppm for 4 h).
- Ethylene emission and visible foliage damage were assessed in EDU-treated and untreated plants, with and without ozone exposure.
- Aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), an ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor, was used for comparison.
Main Results:
- EDU completely protected pea plants from visible ozone damage.
- EDU did not alter basal ethylene emission in the absence of ozone.
- EDU-treated plants did not exhibit the characteristic ethylene burst upon ozone exposure.
- AVG did not prevent ozone phytotoxicity but reduced ethylene emission.
Conclusions:
- EDU-induced ozone tolerance is not due to preventing ethylene-ozone interaction.
- EDU likely prevents ozone phytotoxicity by inhibiting the ozone-induced ethylene burst.
- EDU offers a protective mechanism against ozone damage in plants.