Hormetic effects of zinc on growth and antioxidant defense system of wheat plants

Although hormesis induced by heavy metals is a well-known phenomenon, the involved biological mechanisms are not fully understood. Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient for wheat, an important crop contributing to food security as a main staple food; however, excessive Zn is detrimental to the growth of wheat. The aim of this study was to evaluate morphological and physiological responses of two wheat varieties exposed to a broad range of Zn concentrations (0–1000 μM) for 14 days. Hormesis was induced by Zn in both wheat varieties. Treatment with 10–100 μM Zn promoted biomass accumulation by enhancing the photosynthetic ability, the chlorophyll content and the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Increased root/shoot ratio suggested that shoot growth was severely inhibited when Zn concentration exceeded 300 μM by reducing photosynthetic ability and the content of photosynthetic pigments. Excessive Zn accumulation (Zn treatment of 300–1000 μM) in leaf and root induced membrane injuries through lipid peroxidation as malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased with increasing Zn concentration. The results show that MDA content was higher than other treatments by 16.1–151.1% and 15.0–88.3% (XN979) and 36.8–235.7% and 20.6–83.8% (BN207) in the leaves and roots under 1000 μM Zn treatment. To defend against Zn toxicity, ascorbate (AsA), glutathione (GSH), non-protein thiols (NPT) and phytochelatin (PC) content of both wheat varieties (except leaf GSH content of BN207) was increased, while, the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and the content of soluble protein decreased by 300–1000 μM Zn. The results showed that AsA-GSH cycle and NPT and PC content of wheat seedlings play important roles in defending against Zn toxicity. This study contributes new insights into the physiological mechanisms underlying the hormetic response of wheat to Zn, which could be beneficial for optimizing plant health in changing environments and improving risk assessments. [Display omitted] •Exogenous Zn induces hormetic dose-response relationship in wheat seedlings.•Low Zn promoted the wheat growth by enhancing the photosynthetic ability and activities of antioxidant enzymes.•AsA and GSH cycle plays an important role in scavenging reactive oxygen species induced by excessive Zn.•Hormesis induced by Zn should be emphasized in risk assessments.