Effect of DMSO and trehalose on physiological characteristics of wheat seedlings under low temperature stress

Wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. ‘Miannong No.23’) seedlings undergo physiological changes under low temperature stress. Compared with the control group at 25 °C, wheat seedlings under low temperature (10 °C) stress exhibited significantly decreased level of chlorophyll and increased levels of MDA and proline. Enzymatic activities of SOD, POD, and CAT increased under low temperature stress. When DMSO (50 mmol·L⁻¹) or Trehalose (10 mmol·L⁻¹) was introduced to the growth medium for seedlings under low temperature stress, the biosyntheses of chlorophyll and proline increased and the concentration of MDA decreased compared with seedlings lacking the DMSO or Trehalose treatment. Enzymatic activities of SOD, POD, and CAT all significantly increased in the presence of DMSO or Trehalose for seedlings under low temperature stress. A synergistic effect of DMSO (50 mmol·L⁻¹) and Trehalose (10 mmol·L⁻¹) was observed on seedlings under low temperature stress. Specifically, the level of MDA in the leaves of seedlings decreased by 41.56%∼50.82 %; proline increased by 37.74 % ∼ 56.51 %; chlorophyll increased by 60.46 %∼68.57 %; enzymatic activities of SOD, POD and CAT increased by 11.09 %∼17.30 %, 48.54 %∼65.84 % and 32.11%∼50.56 %, respectively. Our findings suggest that the cold resistance mechanism of wheat seedlings could be enhanced by simultaneous treatment with 50 mmol·L⁻¹ of DMSO and 10 mmol·L⁻¹ of Trehalose.