EFFECTS OF CALCIUM ON THE CONTENT OF FREE PROLINE IN ALFALFA SEEDLINGS UNDER DROUGHT STRESS

¹Yajun Chen, ²Guowen Cui, ²Geoffrey Auricht, ²Trevor Garnett, ²Xianguang Zhang
¹Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
²South Australia Research & Development Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

The effects of calcium (Ca²⁺) on content and accumulation of free proline were studied in seedlings of two Chinese alfalfa landraces, Aohan and Zhaodong, subject to drought stress in glasshouse conditions. The free proline content of seedlings increased under drought stress and showed differences between the two landraces. Calcium treatments reduced the proline content of both landraces in the early stages of drought stress but the response differed between the two landraces. These results show that proline content is involved in drought stress response in alfalfa. However, the extent to which the addition of Ca²⁺ reduced drought stress was minimal, and certainly negligible under severe drought stress.