Hormone spray helps pepper seedlings shrug off cold snaps
Karayiğit B, Koç E
Climate Adaptation
If you've ever watched your pepper transplants wilt and stall after an unexpected spring chill, this points to a treatment that could keep them hydrated and healthy through exactly that kind of cold shock.
Scientists sprayed young pepper plants with a growth hormone called meta-topolin before exposing them to cold temperatures, comparing a cold-sensitive variety to a cold-tolerant one. The treated plants held onto more water, built up more protective compounds, and suffered less cell damage than untreated plants, with the biggest benefits showing up in the variety that normally struggles in the cold.
Key Findings
0.25 mM meta-topolin increased relative water content, actual water content, and fresh weight in cold-sensitive KM-1 at 48 and 60 hours of cold stress, and in cold-tolerant ÇF1 at 60 hours
At 24 hours of cold stress, all meta-topolin concentrations raised antioxidant activity (FRAP), peroxidase activity, protein, phenolics, and H2O2 alongside increased leaf thickness
At 48 and 60 hours, all meta-topolin treatments increased total protein and decreased malondialdehyde (a marker of cell membrane damage) compared with cold stress alone
chevron_right Technical Summary
A plant hormone-like compound called meta-topolin helped pepper seedlings survive cold snaps better, boosting their water retention and antioxidant defenses while reducing cell damage, especially in cold-sensitive varieties.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Investigation of cold stress tolerance in seedlings of pepper (Capsicum annuum) following application of meta-topolin.
This study investigated the anatomical and physiological effects of exogenous meta-topolin (mT) at different concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.50 mM) on the leaves of cold-susceptible cultivar Kahramanmar...
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