Gesunde Pflanzen, cilt.75, sa.4, ss.1087-1098, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)
© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Deutschland, part of Springer Nature.The hypothesis about the hormetic effect of low-dose gamma applications (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 Gy-60Co) on common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars (F16 and Öz Ayşe) grown under different drought stress conditions (−0.20 and −0.40 MPa) was evaluated by determining the proteinogenic amino acid profiles and morphological changes in the seedlings. 20 Gy for Öz Ayşe and 10 Gy for F16 reversed the negative effects of drought and improved vegetative growth at −0.40 MPa drought intensity. The fact that the interactions of the cultivar, drought, and gamma dose had a statistically significant effect (p < 0.01) on the change in the amino acid profile was evaluated to be associated with the accumulation of the amino acids that serve as an energy and carbon source as well as the cell growth, and preservation of cell pH value in plants. Although the highest amount of amino acids was detected in F16 at 30 Gy, when evaluated with the vegetative data, it was concluded that the suppression determined in plant development was related to protein degradation. The absence of germination at 40 Gy supports this result. The results revealed that the hormetic effect varies according to the genotype, and depending on the severity of the stress, the plants responded with a decrease or increase in the amount of amino acids. These results strengthen the hypothesis that the accumulation of amino acids under drought conditions has a positive effect on the plant’s ability to cope with stress.