Oxidative stress of plants: chemistry, physiology, methods of protection

Under conditions of biotic and abiotic stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are formed in plants, which causes oxidative stress. At the same time, ROS play additional signaling roles in plant adaptation to stress. The study of the mechanisms of this process makes it possible to develop new ways of protecting organisms, in particular, agricultural plants, from negative stress effects. This review describes the current understanding of oxidative stress - the process of inhibition of the vital activity of cells under the action of reactive oxygen species. The distinctive features of plant oxidative stress and two main pathways of metabolic protection - the jasmonate and salicylate pathways - are separately identified. Various ways of identifying oxidative stress are also given. Innovative methods of protecting agricultural plants from oxidative stress are considered: the use of biopesticides - rhizobacteria and microscopic fungi, elicitors - the youngest direction in creating effective methods of protection. It also describes a relatively outdated method of protection - the use of fungicides. These substances were included in the review due to the recent appearance of biodegradable preparations of this type. Special attention is paid to elicitors - substances that are not typical for plants, the appearance of which in the cell causes a chain of biochemical processes similar to the metabolism of plants under oxidative stress. The most studied substances with the properties of elicitors are described: salicylic acid, jasmonates, hytosan and hydrogen peroxide; their role in the chain of response reactions. As an alternative, isothiocyanates - the main components of the “mustard bomb” - the protective mechanism of plants of the cruciferous family are considered. Also, the latest studies of isothiocyanates in the metabolic processes of plants are described.