Brassinosteroid and hydrogen peroxide improve photosynthetic machinery, stomatal movement, root morphology and cell viability and reduce Cu- triggered oxidative burst in tomato

Abstract

Brassinosteroids and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) are extensively used to combat several environmental factors, including heavy metal stress in plants, but their cumulative impact on the maintenance of copper (Cu) homeostasis in plants could not be dissected at elevated level. This study was executed to explore the roles of 24-epibrassinolide (EBL; foliar) and H₂O₂ (root dipping) in resilience of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants to Cu stress. The cumulative effect of EBL and H₂O₂ in tomato plants grown under Cu stress (10 or 100 mg kg^-1 soil) were assessed. Roots of 20 d old plants were submerged in 0.1 mM of H₂O₂ solution for 4 h and subsequently transplanted in the soil-filled earthen pots and at 30 day after transplantation (DAT), the plants were sprinkled with deionized water (control), and/or 10^-8 M EBL and plant performances were evaluated at 40 DAT. High Cu (100 mg kg^-1 soil) concentration considerably reduced photosynthetic efficacy, cell viability, and plant growth, and deformed chloroplast ultrastructure and root morphology with altered stomatal behavior, but boosted the activity of antioxidant enzymes, proline content and electrolyte leakage in the leaves of tomato. Moreover, EBL and H₂O₂ implemented through distinct modes improved photosynthetic efficiency, modified chloroplast ultrastructure, stomatal behavior, root structure, cell viability and production of antioxidants and proline (osmolyte) that augmented resilience of tomato plants to Cu stress. This study revealed the potential of EBL and H₂O₂ applied through distinct mode could serve as an effective strategy to reduce Cu-toxicity in tomato crop.