Drought is one of the severe environmental stresses threatening agriculture around the globe.Nitric oxide plays diverse roles in plant growth and defensive responses.Despite a few studies supporting the role of nitric oxide in plants under drought responses, little is known about its pivotal molecular amendment in the regulation of stress signaling.In this study, a label-free nano-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry approach was used to determine the effects of sodium nitroprusside Handheld Sweeper (SNP) on polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced osmotic stress in banana roots.Plant treatment with SNP improved plant growth and reduced the Salt Lamps percentage of yellow leaves.
A total of 30 and 90 proteins were differentially identified in PEG+SNP against PEG and PEG+SNP against the control, respectively.The majority of proteins differing between them were related to carbohydrate and energy metabolisms.Antioxidant enzyme activities, such as superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase, decreased in SNP-treated banana roots compared to PEG-treated banana.These results suggest that the nitric oxide-induced osmotic stress tolerance could be associated with improved carbohydrate and energy metabolism capability in higher plants.