Impact of cold acclimation on the oxidative and anti-oxidative system of bitter gourd seedlings exposed to low-temperature stress

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is a cold-sensitive flowering vine, but it remains in demand around the year due to its medicinal properties. Therefore, a prime need is there to develop a cold resilient bitter gourd genotype. The study was designed to inspect the impact of cold stress and acclimation on oxidative and anti-oxidative parameters in two bitter gourd genotypes viz., PAUBG-56 and Punjab-14. For that fifteen-dayold bitter gourd seedlings were subjected to low-temperature stress (5°C) both directly and after acclimation (gradual decrease in temperature from 25 to 5°C before cold exposure). Leaflets were collected on various days after temperature treatment, and seven days of recovery period and analyzed for the above-mentioned parameters. Results showed a significant increase in oxidative stress markers in non-acclimated Punjab-14 seedlings, while PAUBG-56 demonstrated higher resilience through elevated enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activity. Acclimation improved stress tolerance in both genotypes, although PAUBG-56 showed superior recovery. Therefore, it is concluded that acclimation is an eminent method, that helps to enhance the tolerance capacity of bitter gourd against low-temperature stress.