Use of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy for analysis of water deficit tolerance in Physalis peruviana L

[Display omitted] •ATR-FTIR spectral analysis was used in monitoring the biochemical changes due toPhysalis peruvianaL. under water deficit conditions.•Chemical priming was used for increasing water deficit tolerance.•Water deficit promotes alterations in the functional groups, mainly lipids, proteins and carbohydrates.•The application of pretreatment with sodium nitroprusside results in lipids and protein changes under water deficit conditions which are studied from ATR-FTIR spectra.•The ATR-FTIR technique is able to assisting in the selection of priming treatments to increase tolerance to water deficit. Treatments that allow plants to better tolerate water deficit become essential, such as the application of chemical priming. In addition, it is essential to use analyses capable of measuring these effects at the biomolecular level, complementing the other physiological evaluations. In view of the above, this study aimed to evaluate the use of attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy for analyses of water deficit tolerance in Physalis peruviana plants. For this, samples of leaves, stems and roots of plants subjected to different pretreatments with proline (10 mM and 20 mM), sodium nitroprusside (SNP 25 μM and 50 μM) and H2O as control, aiming at increasing tolerance to water deficit, were evaluated. The chemical agents used attenuated water deficit in P. peruviana plants, influencing phenotypic characterization and spectral analyses. Analysis of FTIR spectra indicates that different functional groups present in leaves, stems and roots were influenced by water deficit and priming treatments. Changes in lipid levels contributed to reducing water losses by increasing the thickness of cuticular wax. Accumulation of proteins and carbohydrates promoted osmoregulation and maintenance of the water status of plants. Thus, water deficit causes changes in the functional groups present in the organs of P. peruviana, and the ATR-FTIR technique is able to detect these biomolecular changes, helping in the selection of priming treatments to increase tolerance to water deficit.