Open Access

ARTICLE

Effect of Proline Pretreatment on the Water Stress Response in “Siete Caldos” Pepper Plants

Blanca Olivia Trejo-Paniagua¹, Nancy Ruiz-Lau^2,*, María Goretty Caamal-Chan³, Rosa Isela Cruz-Rodríguez¹, Anayancy Lam-Gutiérrez⁴, Víctor Manuel Ruíz-Valdiviezo¹

1 Tecnológico Nacional de México Campus Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Carretera Panamericana Km 1080, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, 29050, Chiapas, México
2 SECIHTI-Tecnológico Nacional de México Campus Tuxtla, Carretera Panamericana Km 1080, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, 29050, Chiapas, México
3 SECIHTI-Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste S.C., Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, 23096, Baja California Sur, México
4 Tecnológico Nacional de México-Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Cintalapa, Cintalapa de Figueroa, 30400, Chiapas, México

* Corresponding Author: Nancy Ruiz-Lau. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Abiotic Stress in Agricultural Crops)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(3), 861-873. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.062410

Received 18 December 2024; Accepted 12 February 2025; Issue published 31 March 2025

Abstract

Exogenous proline is an effective agent for increasing plant tolerance to abiotic stress in plants. In this study, we evaluated its effect on seedlings of Siete Caldos chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens), a semi-domesticated variety. The Capsicum genus is known for its sensitivity to water stress. We pretreated the seedlings’ roots by immersing them in proline solutions (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 mM) for 48 h. Then, we exposed them to water stress using a Hoagland nutrient solution supplemented with 10% polyethylene glycol (PEG-8000) for nine days. We analyzed key physiological and biochemical parameters, including relative water content, cell membrane stability index, electrolyte leakage, chlorophyll, and proline content. The results indicated that proline concentrations of 2.5 and 5 mM significantly increased tolerance to water stress, with 100% survival. These seedlings maintained greater hydration and cell membrane stability compared to non-pretreated seedlings. In contrast, at the highest concentrations (7.5 and 10 mM Pro), survival was 63.63% and 54.54%, respectively. This study demonstrated that exogenous proline enhances water stress tolerance in Capsicum frutescens seedlings by mitigating the negative impact on physiological and biochemical processes vital for survival. This theoretical foundation can be applied to improve chili seedling performance in controlled production environments.

---

Keywords

---