Browsing by Author "Steenkamp, Letitia Elizabeth"

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    Analysis of the effects of the plant growth promoting substances GR24 and smoke water on abiotically stressed Nicotiana benthamiana seedlings
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012-03) Steenkamp, Letitia Elizabeth; Hills, Paul N.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Genetics. Institute for Plant Biotechnology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Almost all processes during the life of a plant are affected by the environment. Changes in phytohormone, metabolite and protein levels follow in response to changes in the environment. Plant growth promoting substances can stimulate changes at these levels to facilitate increased plant growth and yields above what the plant would normally establish. In this study, the effects of two growth promoting substances, smoke water (SW) derived from bubbling smoke from the burning of plant material through water, and a synthetic strigolactone analogue, GR24, on plant growth and architecture, as well as the proteome and metabalome of salt stressed Nicotiana benthamiana seedlings were investigated. Physiological studies were conducted to identify the effects of the growth substances on salt stressed seedlings in a tissue culture system. Under non-stress conditions, SW treatment increased seedling fresh mass, root length and leaf area. Under salt stress conditions (100 mM and 150 mM NaCl), SW increased fresh mass, root length, leaf number and lateral root number significantly. Under non-stress conditions, GR24-treated seedlings showed increased fresh mass, leaf number and area and root length. When GR24-treated seedlings were placed under salt stress, the seedlings showed significant increases in fresh mass, leaf number and lateral root number, but only marginal increases in root length and leaf area. Despite these similarities, slight differences were observed in the metabolomes and proteomes of smoke water and GR24-treated seedlings, both with and without the addition of salt stress. Relatively few of the differentially expressed proteins could be identified with the instruments available. Changes in the metabolome indicated that photoassimilation and photosynthesis could be affected in response to smoke water and GR24 treatment. Our results suggest that smoke water and GR24 both promote growth under salt stress conditions in seedlings and we furthermore conclude that, although there are distinct overlaps between treatments, this is accomplished via slightly different mechanisms.