Production of reactive oxygen species in peanut nodules

Abstract

In this study, it was investigated the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in peanut nodules at three peanut growth stages (R): R1 (flowering), R4 (full pod) and R6 (full seed). Analysis of ROS production showed that superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide contents decreased while lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation remained unchanged throughout nodule development. Furthermore, it was found that the inside of formed nodules was 100% red at (R1), 54% at (R4) and 39% at (R6), respectively. The total soluble protein content decreased while leghemoglobin content remained unaltered at different growth stages. Thus, our findings suggest that ROS production is not involved in the peanut nodule senescence indicating that this process would not be accompanied by an oxidative burst. It is possible to suggest that the antioxidant system would play an important role in the protection of peanut nodules against ROS production.