Figures (1)  Tables (2)
    • Figure 1. 

      Biological functions of amino acids in five families and metabolic pathways: (i) aspartate, (ii) branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), (iii) aromatic, (iv) 3-phosphoglycerate, and (v) α-ketoglutarate.

    • Amino acid applied Plant Property altered Ref.
      I. Water relations and osmotic adjustment
      Arginine
      Sugarcane (S. officinarum) Increased: Transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, carboxylation efficiency, CO2 assimilation [80]
      Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: RWC [86]
      Betaine Barley (H. vulgare) Increased: Transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration [82]
      GABA
      Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Osmotic adjustment, RWC [6166]
      Perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) Increased: RWC [67]

      Glycine betaine


      Maize (Z. mays) Increased: Transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration [83]
      Rice (O. sativa) Increased: RWC [55]
      Sugarcane (S. officinarum) Increased: RWC, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, water use efficiency [53]
      Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, CO2 assimilation, intercellular CO2 concentration, water use efficiency, RWC, osmotic potential, pressure potential, leaf water potential [4752]
      Isoleucine Rice (O. sativa) Increased: RWC [69]
      Leucine Rice (O. sativa) Increased: RWC [69]
      Methionine Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: CO2 assimilation, intercellular CO2 concentration, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency [71]
      Proline Maize (Z. mays) Increased: Oleic and linoleic acid contents [78]
      Rice (O. sativa) Increased: RWC [69]
      Tryptophan Maize (Z. mays) Increased: RWC [70]
      Valine Rice (O. sativa) Increased: RWC [69]
      II. Photosynthesis
      Arginine
      Maize (Z. mays) Increased: Photochemical efficiency, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content [79]
      Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids [72]
      GABA
      Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Photochemical efficiency, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content [6266]
      Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Chlorophyll content [77]
      Glycine betaine





      Barley (H. vulgare) Increased: Chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate [82]
      Carpet grass (A. compressus) Increased: Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid content [85]
      Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Chlorophyll content [84]
      Maize (Z. mays) Increased: Photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids [83]
      Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, photosynthetic rate, photochemical efficiency, photon yield of photosystem II [55,76]
      Sugarcane (S. officinarum) Increased: Photosynthetic rate, carboxylation efficiency, photochemical efficiency, effective quantum yield of photosystem II
      Decreased: Photoinhibition, relative excess energy in photosystem II
      [53]
      Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Leaf area, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate [47,51]
      Methionine Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Chlorophyll and carotenoid content [71]
      Phenylalanine Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Chlorophyll content [81]
      Proline Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Chlorophyll content [77]
      Tryptophan Maize (Z. mays) Increased: Chlorophyll content [70]
      III. Carbohydrate synthesis
      Arginine Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Soluble sugars [72]
      GABA Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Soluble carbohydrates, proteins involved in carbohydrate transport [62,64]
      Carpet grass (A. compressus) Increased: Soluble sugars [85]
      Maize (Z. mays) Increased: Soluble sugars [75]
      Rice (O. sativa) Increased: α-amylase activity, total soluble sugars [55,74]
      Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Soluble sugars, endogenous proline [51]
      Methionine Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Total soluble proteins [71]
      Proline Maize (Z. mays) Increased: Sugar content (seed) [78]
      IV. Amino acid metabolism
      Alanine Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Total endogenous amino acids [69]
      Arginine Sugarcane (S. officinarum) Increased: Endogenous arginine and glutamate content [80]
      Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Free amino acids, endogenous proline [72]
      GABA Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Endogenous GABA content [65,66]
      Glycine betaine Carpet grass (A. compressus) Increased: Endogenous proline content [85]
      Maize (Z. mays) Increased: Endogenous proline content, soluble proline, endogenous glycine betaine content [54,75]
      Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Endogenous glycine betaine and proline content [55,74,76]
      Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Endogenous proline content [49]
      Isoleucine, leucine, proline, valine Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Total endogenous amino acids [69]
      V. Antioxidant metabolism
      Arginine Maize (Z. mays) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, POD, CAT, GST, GR, APX)
      Decreased: MDA content, oxidative species (H2O2, O2)
      [79]
      Sugarcane (S. officinarum) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, CAT) [80]
      Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (CAT, glutathione S-transferase, GPX); Non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbate, glutathione) (increased) [86]
      GABA Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, POD, CAT, GR, MDAR, DHAR)
      Decreased: Electrolyte leakage, oxidative species (H2O2, O2)
      [62,63,65,66]
      Perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (POD
      Decreased: MDA content, electrolyte leakage
      [67]
      Triticale (x Triticosecale) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, CAT)
      Decreased: MDA content, oxidative species (H2O2, O2)
      [87]
      Glycine betaine Barley (H. vulgare) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, POD, CAT, APX) [82]
      Carpet grass (A. compressus) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, POD, CAT, APX), membrane stability index
      Decreased: MDA content, oxidative species (H2O2), electrolyte leakage
      [85]
      Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, POD, CAT)
      Decreased: MDA content, oxidative species (O2)
      [84]
      Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, CAT, APX)
      Decreased: MDA content, oxidative species (H2O2)
      [55]
      Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, POD, CAT), membrane stability index
      Decreased: MDA content, oxidative species (H2O2), electrolyte leakage
      [47,51]
      Maize (Z. mays) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidant (POD) [54]
      Methionine Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, POD, CAT)
      Decreased: MDA content, oxidative species (H2O2)
      [71]
      Phenylalanine Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD) [81]
      Proline Maize (Z. mays) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidant (DPPH)
      Non-enzymatic antioxidants (carotenoids, flavonoids, tocopherols)
      [78]
      Tryptophan Maize (Z. mays) Increased: Membrane stability index [70]
      Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD) [81]
      Tyrosine Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD) [81]

      Table 1. 

      Amino acids that improve grass water relations, photosynthesis, carbohydrate synthesis, amino acid metabolism, and antioxidant metabolism when exogenously applied under drought stress.

    • Amino acid applied Plant Property altered Ref.
      I. Photosynthesis
      Aspartic acid Perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) Increased: Chlorophyll content [96]
      GABA Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Chlorophyll content, photochemical efficiency [92]
      Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Photochemical efficiency, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content [62,63,9395]
      Proline Barley (H. vulgare) Increased: Photochemical efficiency [91]
      II. Carbohydrate metabolism
      Aspartic acid Perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) Increased: Sugars (Glucose-6-phosphate, glucose, UDP-glucose, glucuronic acid, sucrose, sorbitol); organic acids (pyruvate, oxaloacetate, citrate, malate, α-ketoglutarate, succinate, shikimate) [96]
      GABA Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Sugars (trehalose) [92]
      Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Soluble carbohydrates, organic acids (aconitate, malate, succinate, oxalic acid, threonic acid); soluble sugars (sucrose, fructose, glucose, galactose, maltose) [62,95]
      III. Osmotic adjustment
      GABA Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Stomatal conductance, RWC [92]
      Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Osmotic adjustment, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, RWC, water use efficiency [62,63,9395]
      IV. Amino acid metabolism and protein retention
      Aspartic acid Perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) Increased: Amino acid content [96]
      Arginine Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Amino acid content, protein synthesis [97,98]
      GABA Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Endogenous GABA content, endogenous proline content [62,63,94]
      Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Amino acid content [95]
      V. Antioxidant metabolism
      Aspartic acid Perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, CAT, POD, APX)
      Decreased: MDA content, oxidative species (H2O2, O2), electrolyte leakage
      [96]
      Arginine Wheat (T. aestivum) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, CAT)
      Decreased: MDA content
      [98]
      GABA Rice (O. sativa) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, CAT, APX, GR); Non-enzymatic antioxidants (Ascorbate, glutathione)
      Decreased: MDA content, oxidative species (H2O2)
      [92]
      Creeping bentgrass (A. stolonifera) Increased: Enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, POD, CAT, APX, DHAR, GR); Non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbate, DHA, glutathione, oxidized glutathione)
      Decreased: Electrolyte leakage, MDA content, carbonyl content, oxidative species (H2O2, O2)
      [62,63,9395]

      Table 2. 

      Exogenous amino acids that improve grass photosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, osmotic adjustment, amino acid metabolism and protein retention, and antioxidant metabolism under heat stress.