Male poplars have a stronger ability to balance growth and carbohydrate accumulation than do females in response to a short‐term potassium deficiency |
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| Authors: | Yanni Yang Hao Jiang Maolin Wang Helena Korpelainen Chunyang Li |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China;2. Key Laboratory of Bio‐resources and Eco‐environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China;3. Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China;4. Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland |
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| Abstract: | Potassium (K) deficiency influences plant performance, such as ion uptake and carbohydrate transport. However, little is known about differences between males and females in response to K deficiency. In this study, dry matter accumulation, photosynthetic capacity, allocation patterns of K+, Na+ and carbohydrates, and ultrastructural changes in males and females of Populus cathayana exposed to K deficiency were investigated. The results indicated that males maintained a significantly higher K+ content and K+/Na+ ratio in leaves and stems than did females under K deficiency. Moreover, K deficiency significantly increased the sucrose content of females, whereas no significant effect on males was detected. In addition, a comparative analysis showed that males allocated more resources to roots, while females allocated more to leaves, which resulted in sexually different root/shoot (R/S) ratios. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) observations showed that males suffered fewer injuries than did females. These results suggested that males have a better ability to cope with K deficiency. In addition, the combined effects of salinity and K deficiency on poplars were studied. The results indicated that salt stress aggravates the negative effects caused by K deficiency. Taken together, our study provided evidence for gender‐specific strategies in ion and carbohydrate allocation in poplars exposed to a short‐term K deficiency. In leaves and stems, the lower K+ accumulation inhibited sucrose translocation and resulted in a decreased R/S ratio, which may contribute to males having a stronger ability to balance growth and carbohydrate accumulation when compared with females. |
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