Annual Research & Review in Biology

Aim: Water stress is the cause of many disturbances in plants. This work focuses on the effects of water stress on the roots and seeds of a durum wheat (Triticum durum) of the GTA variety.
Study Design: After germination, the plants were submitted to water stress, and many enzymatic tests are followed to evaluate the response of durum wheat plant to this stress.
Place and Duration of Study: Laboratory of cellular toxicology, department of biology, faculty of sciences, Annaba university, and laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Physiology of Plants of the Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris VI, France University.
Methodology: Seeding was carried out in plastic vessels. After 4 days of germination, the seeds of wheat were submitted to water stress by stopping irrigation and wheat samples were analyzed at 3^rd, 5^th, 7^th and 9^th day after interruption of watering. Controls were watered normally.
Germination took place at a Day temperature of 21ºC and 17-21ºC at Night with artificial lighting from 6 am to 10 pm.
Results: The results showed an increase in catalase activity (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) (specific enzymes o cellular detoxification system); this increase was less observed in the activity of guaiacol peroxidase (GPX).
On the other hand, as ever increase in the level of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in the roots was observed. This increase is proportional to the degree of induced stress. The observation under a fluorescence microscope was revealed that the produced hydrogen peroxide was localized generally in the cytoplasm and the cell wall.
Conclusion: It is clear and possible that water stress induced many plant disturbances and the increase of ROS production.