Zinc modulates drought-induced biochemical damages in tea [Camellia sinensis (L) O Kuntze].

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient that affects the growth and productivity of tea plant. Drought stress causes various biochemical and physiological damages in plants. The present study aims at understanding the role of Zn in modulating drought stress induced growth and biochemical damages in tea plant. The results of the present investigation demonstrated that drought-induced decrease in relative water content (RWC), dry mass of leaf, and antioxidants such as ascorbate and glutathione in the tested tea clones (TV-1, TV-17, and TV-29) was minimized by zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) treatment before water withholding for 7 days. Increase in phenolic content with decrease in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and lipid peroxidation and differential activities of enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), polyphenol peroxidase (PPO), glutathione reductase (GR), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) with concomitant increased Zn uptake in leaf suggested Zn modulates drought-mediated biochemical damages in tea plant.