ANÁLISIS BIOQUÍMICO Y FISIOLÓGICO DE Fouquieria splendens ssp. breviflora BAJO LA ACCIÓN DE AGENTES DE ESTRÉS HÍDRICO

Abstract

Stress, a significant alteration of the optimal conditions of life, induces changes that
can be either reversible or permanent. Water stress promotes a series of responses,
such as the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and the simultaneous activation
of the synthesis of specific proteins of stress
at the molecular level, to changes in the development and/or reproduction of plants.
This work evaluated the water-stress response of Fouquieria splendens ssp.
breviflora through biochemical and physiological analysis of the shoots produced
under conditions of water stress generated
by the presence of polyethylene glycol and
abscisic acid. The results showed the development of tracheary elements in the
shoots as a water reservoir and the production of higher amounts of protein and free
proline under the stress conditions. In these
processes, Fouquieria splendens ssp.
breviflora has physiological responses that
could be considered the first mechanisms
that are involved in its ability to adapt to
the natural water-stress conditions of the
arid environment in which it lives.