Effect of drought stress and selenium spraying on photosynthesis and antioxidant activity of spring barley

Abstract

This paper reports the effects of selenium (Se) application on some physiological characteristics of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Rihane-03) exposed to drought stress. Foliar application to barley at 30 g selenium ha^-1, as sodium selenate, increased significantly shoot dry weight and relative water content in well-watered plants. A remarkable reduction in dry weight of water-stressed plants was associated with significant decrease in maximal efficiency of PSII (F_v/F_m), stomatal conductance (g_s) and net CO₂ assimilation rate (A). Activity of antioxidant enzymes was increased by drought stress significantly. Amounts of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) remained unchanged in Se-supplemented water-deficit plants obviously because of an efficient scavenging following significant enhancement of catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities. These results indicate that an application of selenium was favorable for biomass accumulation of barley plants under well-watered conditions. However, it did not significantly affect dry matter accumulation under drought stress, but Se-supplemented water-deficit plants exhibited better protection from oxidative damage because of higher CAT and GSH-Px activities and lower level of lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that selenium application can improve antioxidant defense system under drought stress conditions, and it may be recommended for arid and semiarid regions.