Effect of H2O2 pretreatment on the response of two seashore paspalum (<em>Paspalum vaginatum</em> Sw.) cultivars (Salam and Seaspray) to cold stress

Abstract

Seashore paspalum is a warm season grass that requires few maintenance inputs. Expanded use of seashore paspalum could play a key role in making recreational sites more sustainable and environmentally. However, one key barrier to widespread Seashore paspalum use is a relative lack of winter hardiness. Under severe stress conditions, the antioxidant capacity may not be sufficient to minimize the harmful effect of oxidative injury. The search for signal molecules that mediate the stress tolerance is an important step in better understanding how plants acclimate to the adverse environment. This study aims to screen the responses of two Paspalum vaginatum cultivars (Salam and Seaspray) to local weather conditions and to study how to enhance its cold tolerance by a foliar pretreatment by hydrogen peroxide at low concentrations of 10 mM under controlled conditions. The current study provides evidence that exogenous H2O2 decreases the endogenous content of H2O2 in the first three days of exposure to cold stress in pretreated ‘Seaspray’ plants. in comparison to their control and pretreated ‘Salam’ which was in concomitant with malondialdehyde (MDA) changes. Indicating that pretreatment with 10 mM H2O2 could improve the tolerance of seashore paspalum to cold stress, especially cultivar Seaspray which showed better response to cold stress compared to ‘Salam’. Exogenous H2O2 could constitute a signaling molecule that significantly increases POD relative density, and decreases MDA and H2O2 content.