Plant & Environmental Stress Assays
Measure how plants respond to drought, salinity, heat and pathogens: antioxidant enzymes, oxidative damage, phenols and flavonoids, sugars and nutrients in plant tissue.
SOD, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity, total antioxidant capacity, and vitamins C and E.
MDA in plant samples, hydrogen peroxide and total oxidant status.
Total phenols, plant flavonoids, soluble sugars, polyphenol oxidase, and minerals such as potassium and zinc.
Abiotic and biotic stress drive a burst of reactive oxygen species in plant cells. Plants respond by raising antioxidant enzyme activity, accumulating osmolytes such as soluble sugars, and producing protective secondary metabolites such as phenols and flavonoids.
Measuring oxidative damage (MDA) alongside the enzymes and metabolites that counter it shows both how severe the stress is and how well the plant is coping.
Leaf, root, stem, seed and fruit tissue are commonly used after homogenisation. Check each protocol for the recommended extraction.
MDA for lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide, and the activity of SOD, catalase and glutathione peroxidase are the most widely reported.
Chlorophyll and other pigments can add background. Follow the extraction steps in the protocol and include a sample blank where recommended.