Diah Sudiarti1,3, Ari Satia Nugraha1,2, Wahyu Indra Duwi Fanata1,2, Hidayah Murtianingsih1,4, Ridho Rizkiantoro2, Dewi Nanda Agustin3, Tri Agus Siswoyo1,2*
1Doctor of Biotechnology Study Program, Graduate School, University of Jember, Jember 68121, Indonesia
2The Center of Excellence on Crop Industrial Biotechnology (PUI-PT BioTIn), University of Jember, Indonesia
3Biology Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Jember Islamic University, Indonesia
4Agriculture Faculty, Muhammadiyah University of Jember, Indonesia
*Corresponding author’s email: triagus.faperta@unej.ac.id
Received: 17 September 2025 / Revised: 29 November 2025 / Accepted: 09 December 2025 / Published Online: 23 December 2025
Abstract
Oryza sativa var. glutinous, a native rice variety, has the potential to serve as a source of value-added nutritious processed foods, but it has very limited cultivation due to limited tolerance to abiotic stresses, especially drought, which restricts its growth and development. This study investigated the interactive roles of abscisic acid (ABA) and strigolactone (SL) to alleviate drought stress and promote recovery (R) in Oryza sativa var. glutinous. Drought stress and recovery treatments consisted of ABA, SL, and a combination of both, which had previously been subjected to drought stress induced by PEG-6000. Observational traits involved morphological (shoot height, leaf number, root length, and root number). Biochemical and physiological assessments included chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Then, changes in gene expression and enzyme activity of catalases (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and ascorbate peroxidases (APX) were assessed. The results showed that drought stress caused a decrease in total chlorophyll (4.46%) and an increase in proline (21.05%). The significant impact of oxidative stress was demonstrated by an increase in MDA (89%) and H₂O₂ (91%), as well as CAT, APX, and POD activity. During the recovery phase, the combination of SL and ABA was able to suppress the accumulation of MDA (44.64%) and H₂O₂ (20%), indicating a reduction in oxidative stress and restoration of membrane integrity. These results highlight the likely existence of an interaction between ABA and SL, which consequently affects not only the response to drought stress but also the recovery pathways.
Keywords: Abscisic acid, Strigolactone, Drought stress, Oryza sativa var. glutinous, Plant recovery, Resilience
