The effects of high temperature stress on the enzymatic antioxidant system in Zea mays

Abstract

High temperature stress is synonymous with the attenuation of plant growth, metabolism and eventually death resulting in major loss of crop productivity worldwide. Part of the metabolic perturbations associated with heat stress leads to the excessive formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which have highly deleterious effects on cellular homeostasis. Naturally, through millions of years of evolution and adjustment, plants have developed antioxidant enzymes that neutralize harmful ROS species offering a protective role in the annulment of oxidative damage in response to high temperature. The aim of this study was to measure the activity of several antioxidant enzymes in response to heat stress in Zea mays.