Abscisic acid and jasmonic acid are involved in drought priming-induced tolerance to drought in wheat

Drought stress is a limiting factor for wheat production and food security. Drought priming has been shown to increase drought tolerance in wheat. However, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. In the present study, the genes encoding the biosynthesis and metabolism of abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA), as well as genes involved in the ABA and JA signaling pathways were up-regulated by drought priming. Endogenous concentrations of JA and ABA increased following drought priming. The interplay between JA and ABA in plant responses to drought priming was further investigated using inhibitors of ABA and JA biosynthesis. Application of fluridone (FLU) or nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) to primed plants resulted in lower chlorophyll-fluorescence parameters and activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase, and higher cell membrane damage, compared to primed plants (PD) under drought stress. NDGA + ABA, but not FLU + JA, restored priming-induced tolerance, as indicated by a finding of no significant difference from PD under drought stress. Under drought priming, NDGA induced the suppression of ABA accumulation, while FLU did not affect JA accumulation. These results were consistent with the expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of ABA and JA. They suggest that ABA and JA are required for priming-induced drought tolerance in wheat, with JA acting upstream of ABA.