Catalase plays a key role in salt stress acclimation induced by hydrogen peroxide pretreatment in maize.

Pretreatment in plants is recognized as a valuable strategy to stimulate plant defenses, leading to better plant development. This study evaluated the effects of H₂O₂ leaf spraying pretreatment on plant growth and investigated the antioxidative mechanisms involved in the response of maize plants to salt stress. It was found that salinity reduced maize seedling growth when compared to control conditions, and H₂O₂ foliar spraying was effective in minimizing this effect. Analysis of the antioxidative enzymes catalase (EC 1.11.1.6), guaiacol peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7), ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.1) and superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) revealed that H₂O₂ spraying increased antioxidant enzyme activities. Catalase (CAT) was the most responsive of these enzymes to H₂O₂, with higher activity early (48 h) in the treatment, while guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were responsive only at later stages (240 h) of treatment. Increased CAT activity appears linked to gene expression regulation. Lower malondialdehyde levels were detected in plants with higher CAT activity, which may result from the protective function of this enzyme. Overall, we can conclude that pretreatment with H₂O₂ leaf spraying was able to reduce the deleterious effects of salinity on seedling growth and lipid peroxidation. These responses could be attributed to the ability of H₂O₂ to induce antioxidant defenses, especially CAT activity.