Improving elms performance under drought stress: The pretreatment with abscisic acid

• ABA pretreatment effects in U. minor growth and antioxidant capacity were analyzed.
• ABA reduces water loss and increases plant growth under WW and WS conditions.
• ABA increases WS tolerance by prevention of oxidative membrane damages.
• ABA delays S-phase and increases FPCV.
• ABA pretreatment could be a strategy to decrease the negative effect of WS.

Hormonal conditioning of plants in order to increase photosynthetic performance and reduce oxidative stress may improve plants’ tolerance to stress. This study aims to elucidate the effects of ABA pretreatment on the photosynthetic apparatus and antioxidant battery of Ulmus minor plants under well watered (WW) and drought stress (DS) conditions. Leaves were sprayed with ABA (50 and 100 μM). After 25 days of treatment DS was initiated by withholding water for 6 days. Water deficit decreased the RWC, induced stomatal closure and impaired net CO2 assimilation rate (A). However, independently of the water regime, ABA pretreatment increased plant DW accumulation, A, carotenoids and Chl a contents and reduced water loss. DS induced oxidative stress, but ABA application increased DS tolerance by the enhancement of the antioxidant system. Under WW conditions, the benefits of ABA application in reducing the cell membrane damages were noticeable. ABA pretreatment and DS induced changes in U. minor cell cycle of leaf cells, with a delay in S phase and an increase of FPCV coefficient. We propose that ABA pretreatment improves plant performance by increasing plant DW accumulation and augmenting the antioxidant system of U. minor plants, not only under DS conditions, but also under WW conditions. The use of ABA as pretreatment to alleviate the negative effects of DS seems to be a promising strategy to reduce plant's water loss and improve plant productivity in drought prone habitats.