Acetic acid improves drought acclimation in soybean: an integrative response of photosynthesis, osmoregulation, mineral uptake and antioxidant defense

Exposure to drought stress negatively affects plant productivity and consequently threatens global food security. As global climates change, identifying solutions to increase the resilience of plants to drought is increasingly important. Several chemical treatments have recently emerged as promising techniques for various individual and combined abiotic stresses. This study shows compelling evidence on how acetic acid application promotes drought acclimation responses in soybean by investigating several morphological, physiological and biochemical attributes. Foliar applications of acetic acid to drought‐exposed soybean resulted in improvements in root biomass, leaf area, photosynthetic rate and water use efficiency; leading to improved growth performance. Drought‐induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species, and the resultant increased levels of malondialdehyde and electrolyte leakage, were considerably reverted by acetic acid…