Climate change is one of the main challenges for actual and future generations. Global warming affects plants and animals and is responsible for considerable crop loss. This study studied the influence of antagonist successive stresses, cold-heat and heat-cold, on two medicinal plants Ocimum basilicum L. and Salvia officinalis L. The photosynthetic parameters decreased for plants under the variation of subsequent stress. Net assimilation rates and stomatal conductance to water vapor are more affected in the case of plants under cold-heat consecutive stress than heat-cold successive stress. Emissions of volatile organic compounds have been enhanced for plants under successive stress when compared with control plants. Chlorophyll concentrations for plants under successive stress decreased for basil and sage plants. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were not affected by the successive stresses when compared with the plants under only one type of treatment.
Keywords: basil; cold and heat stress; flavonoids; green leaf volatiles; photosynthesis; sage; total phenols; volatile organic compounds.