Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Exogenous brassinosteroid application delays senescence and promotes hyponasty in Carica papaya L. leaves

  • Published:
Theoretical and Experimental Plant Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The application of brassinosteroids (BR) is associated with increased tolerance to various stresses such as those induced by pathogens, temperature, salinity and drought. Here, we studied the influence of BRs analogues on the leaf senescence of papaya juvenile plants. The objective was to determine whether BRs affect plant growth and leaf senescence by promoting or inhibiting the degradation of chlorophyll and/or leaf abscission. Two-month-old plants were divided into five treatments: C (control without BR application); BRWC (BR applied in the whole canopy); BRL1 (BR applied in the youngest fully expanded leaf, L1); BRL2 (BR applied in L2 which is the secondly more mature leaf in relation to L1) and BRL3 (BR applied in L3 which is the third more mature leaf in relation to L2). We concluded that BRs do not interfere with the senescence of the youngest leaf (L1) but in older leaves (L3) BRWC maintains the leaves greener and attached to the plant for a longer time when compared to the leaves from the other treatments. BR application in whole-canopy increased the plant height, and it caused a delay in leaf senescence and, consequently, in leaf abscission. In addition, hyponastic leaves developed after BR-application in the whole-canopy. The senescence process and leaf abscission in papaya, stimulated by exogenous BRs, were directly related to leaf age.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

References

  • Ali B (2017) Practical applications of brassinosteroids in horticulture—some field perspectives. Sci Hort 225:15–21

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bajguz A, Niczyporuk AP (2014) Interactive effect of brassinosteroids and cytokinins on growth, chlorophyll, monosaccharide and protein content in the green alga Chlorella vulgaris (Trebouxiophyceae). Plant Physiol Biochem 80:176–183

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Breeze E, Harrison E, McHattie S, Hughes L, Hickman R, Hill C, Kiddle S, Kim YS, Penfold CA, Jenkins D et al (2011) High-resolution temporal profiling of transcripts during Arabidopsis leaf senescence reveals a distinct chronology of processes and regulation. Plant Cell 23:873–894

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Campostrini E, Glenn DM (2007) Ecophysiology of papaya: a review. Braz J Plant Physiol 19:413–424

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Can S, Amasino RM (1997) Making sense of senescence-molecular genetic regulation and manipulation of leaf senescence. Plant Physiol 113:313–319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chung Y, Kwon SI, Choe S (2014) Antagonistic regulation of Arabidopsis growth by brassinosteroids and abiotic stresses. Mol Cells 37(11):795–803

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Enders TA, Strader LC (2015) Auxin activity: past, present, and future. Am J Bot 102:1–17

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fariduddin Q, Ahmad A, Hayat S (2004) Responses of Vigna radiata to foliar application of 28-homobrassinolide and kinetin. Biol Plant 48:465–468

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Freitas SJ, Santos PC, Carvalho AJC, Berilli SS, Gomes MMA (2012) Brassinosteroid and nitrogen fertilization on growth and nutritional status of seedlings from pineapple sectioning stem. Rev Bras Frutic 34:612–618

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gomes MMA (2011) Physiological effects related to brassinosteroid application in plants. In: Hayat S, Ahmad A (eds) Brassinosteroids: a class of plant hormone. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 193–242

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gomes MMA, Netto AT, Campostrini E, Bressan-Smith R, Zullo MAT, Ferraz TM, Siqueira LN, Leal NR, Núñez-Vázquez M (2013) Brassinosteroid analogue affects the senescence in two papaya genotypes submitted to drought stress. Theor Exp Plant Phys 25:186–195

    Google Scholar 

  • Guiboileau A, Sormani R, Meyer C, Masclaux-Daubresse C (2010) Senescence and death of plant organs: nutrient recycling and developmental regulation. C R Biol 333:382–391

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hartmann J, Stührwhldt N, Dahlke RI, Sauter M (2013) Phytosulfokine control of growth occurs in the epidermis, is likely to be non-cell autonomous and is dependent on brassinosteroids. Plant J 73:579–590

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He YJ, Xu RJ, Zhao YJ (1996) Enhancement of senescence by epibrassinolide in leaves of mung bean seedlings. Acta Phytophysiol Sin 22:58–62

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He Y, Tang W, Swain JD, Green AL, Jack TP, Gan S (2001) Networking senescence-regulating pathways by using Arabidopsis enhancer trap lines. Plant Physiol 126:707–716

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hepworth J, Lenhard M (2014) Regulation of plant lateral-organ growth by modulating cell number and size. Curr Opin Plant Biol 17:36–42

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jiménez VM, Mora-Newcomer E, Gutiérrez-Souto MV (2014) Biology of the papaya plant. In: Ming R, Moore PH (eds) Plant genetics and genomics: crops and models. Springer, New York, pp 17–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Keuskamp DH, Sasidharan R, Vos I, Peeters AJM, Voesenek LACJ, Pierik R (2011) Blue-light-mediated shade avoidance requires combined auxin and brassinosteroid action in Arabidopsis seedlings. Plant J 67:208–217

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li JM, Nagpal P, Vitart V, McMorris TC, Chory J (1996) A role for brassinosteroids in light dependent development of Arabidopsis. Science 272:398–401

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lima RSN, Figueiredo FAMMA, Martins AO, Deus BCS, Ferraz TM, Gomes MMA, Sousa EF, Glenn DM, Campostrini E (2015) Partial rootzone drying (PRD) and regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) effects on stomatal conductance, growth, photosynthetic capacity, and water-use efficiency of papaya. Sci Hortic 183:13–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Gao H, Wang X, Zheng Q, Wang C, Wang X, Wang Q (2014) Effects of 24-epibrassinolide on plant growth, osmotic regulation and ion homeostasis of salt-stressed canola. Plant Biol 16:440–450

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ming R, Yu Q, Blas A, Chen C, Na JK, Moore PH (2008) Genomics of papaya, a common source of vitamins in the tropics. In: Moore PH, Ming R (eds) Genomics of tropical crop plants. Springer, New York, pp 405–420

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Polko JK, van Zanten M, van Rooij JA, Marée AFM, Voesenek LACJ, Tarkowská D, Strnad M, Voesenek LACJ, Peeters AJM, Pierik R (2012) Ethylene-induced differential petiole growth in Arabidopsis thaliana involves local microtubule reorientation and cell expansion. New Phytol 193:339–348

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Polko JK, Pierik R, van Zanten M, Tarkowská D, Strnad M, Voesenek LACJ, Peeters AJM (2013) Ethylene promotes hyponastic growth through interaction with ROTUNDIFOLIA3/CYP90C1 in Arabidopsis. J Exp Bot 64:613–624

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ribeiro Junior JI (2001) Análises estatísticas no SAEG. Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers H, Munné-Bosch S (2016) Production and scavenging of reactive oxygen species and redox signaling during leaf and flower senescence: similar but different. Plant Physiol 171:1560–1568

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sağlam-Çağ S (2007) The effects of epi-brassinolide on senescence in wheat leaves. Biotechnol Biotechnol Equip 21:63–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sana NH, Rahman A (2014) Comparative changes in metabolism of Vigna radiata by foliar and root application of brassinolide at different concentrations. Int J Plant Physiol Biochem 6:56–65

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sandalio LM, Rodríguz-Serrano M, Romero-Puertas MC (2016) Leaf epinasty and auxin: a biochemical and molecular overview. Plant Sci 253:187–193

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schippers JHM (2015) Transcriptional networks in leaf senescence. Curr Opin Plant Biol 27:77–83

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schippers JHM, Schmidt R, Wagstaff C, Jing HC (2015) Living to die and dying to live: the survival strategy behind leaf senescence. Plant Physiol 169:915–930

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart Lilley JL, Gan Y, Graham IA, Nemhauser JL (2013) The effects of DELLAs on growth change with developmental stage and brassinosteroid levels. Plant J 76:165–173

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun S, Chen D, Li X, Qiao S, Shi C, Li C, Shen H, Wang X (2015) Brassinosteroid signaling regulates leaf erectness in Oryza sativa via the control of a specific u-type cyclin and cell proliferation. Dev Cell 34:220–228

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Swamy KN, Rao SSR (2011) Effect of brassinosteroids on the performance of coleus (Coleus forskohlii). J Herbs Spices Med Plants 17:12–20

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Zanten M, Millenaar FF, Cox MCH, Pierik R, Voesenek LACJ, Peeters AJM (2009) Auxin perception and polar auxin transport are not always a prerequisite for differential growth. Plant Signal Behav 4:899–901

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Vandenbussche F, Straeten DVD (2004) Shaping the shoot: a circuitry that integrates multiple signals. Trends Plant Sci 9:500–505

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vardhini BV (2017) Modifications of morphological and anatomical characteristics of plants by application of brassinosteroids under various abiotic stress conditions—a review. Plant Gene 11:70–89

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yoshizawa E, Kaizuka M, Yamagami A, Takeuchi MH, Matsui M, Kakei Y, Shimada Y, Sakuta M, Osada H, Asami T, Nakano T (2014) BPG3 is a novel chloroplast protein that involves the greening of leaves and related to brassinosteroid signaling. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 78:420–442

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhiponova MK, Vanhoutte I, Boudolf V, Betti C, Dhondt S, Coppens F, Mille E, Maes S, González-García MP, Cano-Delgado AI, Inzé D, Beemster GTS, Veylder L, Russinova E (2013) Brassinosteroid production and signaling differentially control cell division and expansion in the leaf. New Phytol 197:490–502

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

BIOBRAS16 was kindly provided by researchers from INCA (Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Agrarias, La Habana, Cuba).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Physiology Laboratory, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos Dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil

    Mara de Menezes de Assis-Gomes, Daniel Teixeira Pinheiro, Ricardo Bressan-Smith & Eliemar Campostrini

Authors
  1. Mara de Menezes de Assis-Gomes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Daniel Teixeira Pinheiro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ricardo Bressan-Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Eliemar Campostrini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mara de Menezes de Assis-Gomes.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

de Assis-Gomes, M.M., Pinheiro, D.T., Bressan-Smith, R. et al. Exogenous brassinosteroid application delays senescence and promotes hyponasty in Carica papaya L. leaves. Theor. Exp. Plant Physiol. 30, 193–201 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40626-018-0114-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40626-018-0114-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation