The effect of different elicitor treatments on cold stress in V. Vinifera L. cv. 'Victoria'

In the study carried out as a two-year greenhouse experiment, the effects of salicylic acid (SA; 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5 mM), methyl jasmonate (MJ; 5, 10 and 15 mM) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mM) treatments at different concentrations against cold stress (4 °C, 16 h) in Victoria variety grapevine saplings were investigated, and the most effective concentration ranges were investigated. 1.0 mM SA was found to be the most effective treatment to promote cold stress resistance of grapevines by increasing superoxide dismutase (114.23 U mg⁻¹ protein), catalase (1.024 U mg⁻¹ protein) and ascorbate peroxidase (20.43 U mg⁻¹ protein) enzyme activities while decreasing electrolyte leakage (14.44%) and lipid peroxidation (6.07 nmol g⁻¹) levels. Moreover, 10 mM MJ and 1.0 mM SNP treatments also contributed to the improvement of the osmotic adjustment capacity of grapevines by increasing proline content (MJ, 0.185 μmol g⁻¹; SNP, 0.435 μmol g⁻¹) and relative water content (MJ, 90.06%; SNP, 89.78%), and decreasing electrolyte leakage (MJ, 14.71%; SNP, 16.06%) and lipid peroxidation (MJ, 4.10 nmol g⁻¹; SNP, 5.96 nmol g⁻¹). Additionally, principal component analysis, heatmap and comprehensive evaluation based on the analytic hierarchy process indicated that 1.0 mM SA, 10 mM MJ and 1.0 mM SNP treatments performed better than other treatments in terms of both increasing plant resistance and reducing the severity of damage. This study contains important information that can provide a reference for researchers to enhance the adaptation ability of grapevines to cold stress and can enhance the success of future studies.