Differential responses of superoxide dismutase in freezing resistant Solanum curtilobum and freezing sensitive Solanum tuberosum subjected to oxidative and water stress.

In photosynthetic tissues superoxide dismutase (SOD) plays an important role by scavenging the superoxide radical whose production is an usual reaction in chloroplast thylakoids. To test the differential response of SOD, two Andean potato species differing in frost resistance, Solanum curtilobum (frost resistant) and Solanum tuberosum (frost sensitive), were subjected to methyl viologen-mediated oxidative stress and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced water stress. A significant increment (approximately two-fold) in total SOD and FeSOD activity, which occupied about 50% of the total activity, was found when leaves of S. curtilobum were exposed to water stress. In contrast, the SOD activity in leaves of S. tuberosum remained unchanged. The exposure of leaves of S. curtilobum to oxidative stress increased total SOD and FeSOD activity by 350%. High correlation between SOD activity and the F(v)/F(m )ratio under both PEG induced water stress and MV-mediated oxidative stress was observed. This suggests that SOD can protect PSII from superoxide generated by oxidative and water stress. The higher SOD activity could be an important mechanism to explain why some natives Andean potato like S. curtilobum are more resistant to abiotic stresses than S. tuberosum.