An analysis of resistance to water flow through wheat and tall fescue leaves during pressure chamber efflux experiments

Abstract. This is a physical analysis of water movement in wheat ( Triticum ) and tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ) leaves placed in the Scholander pressure chamber. It takes into account the efflux resistances of water movement through the xylem and water flow across the cell membranes. Xylem resistance was estimated using Poiseuille's law.
Leaves which had been pressurized in the chamber were embedded, sectioned, examined under a light microscope and photographed. Cells were intact but distorted and xylem vessels were intact. Cells in portions of the blade squeezed by the chamber sealing grommet were crushed, but xylem vessels remained intact.
By applying pressure several tenths of a megapascal in excess of the balance pressure, water was forced from each leaf through the severed end which protruded from the chamber. Efflux curves were drawn by plotting the total water expressed as a function of time after the pressure increase. Water efflux from the shortest wheat leaf lasted only 10 min while efflux from the longest continued for up to 40 min. The efflux from a tall fescue leaf which was rehydrated and cut to a shorter length was much more rapid than efflux from the original leaf.
Experiments combined with mathematical analysis suggested that the effect of leaf length on efflux is related to a high resistance to water flow through vascular bundles. Xylem resistance would be sufficient to produce this effect if it were 10 times greater than that predicted by Poiseuille's law. Both the observations of water flow from the cut end of the leaf and the mathematical model suggested very little water flows from bundles with vessels of diameter less than 12 μm. The apparent explanation is high resistance to water flow through these small diameter vessels.     

烟草(Nicotiana tabacum)部份Ⅰ蛋白结晶的三种简易制备方法

蛋白提取液经加热后,流经一个DEAR-纤维素小柱,然后通过透析或稀释均可得到结晶。如在匀浆时加入足够的711阴离子交换树脂,则蛋白提取液加热后可直接透析结晶,连DEAR-纤维素小柱也可以不用。席法省略了耗费时间的超滤浓缩和粗大的凝胶柱装置。     

The stromacentre inAvena plastids: an aggregation ofβ-glucosidase responsible for the activation of oat-leaf saponins

The stromacentre, a particular structure in the plastids of mostAvena species, was isolated from etioplasts ofAvena sativa and then characterized to determine its biological function. When comparing differentAvena species with or without stromacentre, it was shown that the stromacentre, a 63-kDa protein, and saponins (characteristic compounds ofAvena sativa) either occur together or not at all. This linkage was confirmed by demonstrating a transformation of saponins by the isolated stromacentre protein: avenacosides were hydrolyzed to 26-desgluco-avenacosides. Therefore, the stromacentre protein had to be regarded as a-glucosidase. Enzyme assays usingp-nitrophenyl--d-glucopyranoside as substrate showed that this-glucosidase has a pH optimum at pH 6.0. The calculatedK _m value for this substrate was 2.2·10^-3 M. Antibodies against the stromacentre protein inhibited-glucosidase activity. The determination of the molecular weight of the-glucosidase by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis showed that it consists of subunits of 63 kDa. After gel electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions, enzymatically active molecules were shown to consist of at least two of these subunits. Molecules aggregated up to about 10⁶ Da also had enzyme activity. Enzyme assays using avenacosides as substrate showed a pH optimum at pH 6.0. The calculatedK _m value for this substrate was 1.2·10^-5 M. The high affinity to the avenacosides and the high specificity for the C-26 bound glucose indicate that avenacosides are the natural substrates for this-glucosidase. Assuming that the avenacosides in oat leaves play a role as preformed chemical inhibitory substances against phytopathogenic microorganisms, a model is presented showing the stromacentre with a central role in activating the fungitoxicity of avenacosides.     

Changes in the nucleotide pools in leaves and buds of tobacco plants upon treatment with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

Tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Samsun) plants were treated once with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) at the 8-leaf stage. The effect of the herbicide on leaf metabolism was followed over 7 days by determination of the ribonucleotide pools, including NAD⁺, NADP⁺ and UDP-sugars, by high-preformance liquid chromatography. 2,4-D treatment resulted in large changes in the nucleotide concentrations, the magnitude and sign of which were dependent upon the leafage. The nucleotide pools decreased in the apical tissue, but increased strongly in the mature leaves with the highest relative increase in the oldest leaf tested. The time course of the changes revealed a maximum on day 5 after 2,4-D treatment. The increase in the adenine nucleotide pools, energy charge and the NADVNADP⁺ ratio are interpreted to indicate a stress situation. The different responses of young, mature and senescent tissue to the synthetic auxin could reflect their different inherent sensitivity due to the natural auxin gradient.     

空心莲子草、大豆和向日葵叶组织K~+(~(86)Rb~+)的吸收和通量分析

空心莲子草叶片K~+吸收的K_m比大豆和向日葵的要高,但I_m都相近。空心莲子草根系的溢泌速率及溢泌液中K~+浓度都比大豆和向日葵的高。后两者的溢泌速率相近,但向日葵根系溢泌液中K~+浓度却高于大豆。 这三种植物叶组织K~+含量因液泡的含K~+量不同而有明显差别。而液泡含K~+量和K_cv/K_cv的比值相一致。     

低温和光对灌浆期水稻剑叶光合作用的影响

水稻剑叶的光合速率和表观量子效率均随温度的下降而降低,光合速率的下降比表观量子效率的下降明显。低温处理亦引起了最大光合速率和表观量子效率的降低及气孔阻力的升高。这些变化,光照低温处理的大于黑暗低温的;当转入常温后,前者光合速率的恢复慢于后者;恢复期间,有光照的又比无光照的光合速率恢复要慢。     

Cadmium effects on leaf transpiration of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris)

Seedlings of sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris L. cv Monohill) were cultivated for 4 weeks in nutrient solution containing different concentrations of CdCl₂ (0 to 10 μ M ). The effects of Cd on appearance and function of stomata and leaf cuticle were investigated by water loss measurements and microscopy. The leaf transpiration rate increased with increasing Cd concentrations while the sum total of stomatal aperture area per unit leaf area decreased. Already at low Cd levels. an increase of defective and undeveloped stomata was found in Cd treated plants. These stomata are closed or have small apertures and probably lack a functional closing mechanism. The number of intact stomata per unit leaf area was lower in leaves of Cd treated plants than in controls, and Cd induced closure of intact stomata. The total number of stomata per leaf area slightly increases with increasing Cd concentration. as does the percentage of small stomata. Furthermore. specific leaf area increased, while the density of leaf structure was decreased by Cd. From this observation we conclude that the increase in transpiration rate caused by Cd is primarily due to effects on the permeability of the leaf cuticle to water.     

Factors affecting gene expression of patatin and proteinase-inhibitor-II gene families in detached potato leaves:

In whole intact potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants, the gene families of class-I patatin and proteinase inhibitor II (Pin 2) are constitutively expressed in the tubers. However, they are also induced in detached potato leaves in the presence of light. To further characterize this light action, the detached leaves were subjected to monochromatic light of different wavelengths and to darkness in the presence of metabolites and inhibitors. Patatin genes could be induced by the simultaneous application of sucrose (sugars) and glutamine in darkness. Neither of these metabolites was active when supplied alone. When photosynthesis was blocked by 3-(3,4-Di-chlorophenyl)-1, 1-dimethylurea (DCMU) in the light, patatin genes were not expressed; however, the inhibition was overcome in the presence of sucrose. This indicates that besides its role in photosynthetic carbohydrate production, light may be essential for the supply of amino acids (or reduced nitrogen). Unlike patatin, Pin 2 genes were, to a small extent, also active in darkness, and sucrose weakly enhanced this expression. However, DCMU did not affect Pin 2 expression in the light. Both abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate strongly promoted the accumulation of Pin 2 mRNA independent of the light conditions, indicating that the gene family is probably under hormonal control. The phytohormones did not affect patatin gene expression. Inhibitors of cytosolic (cycloheximide) and organellar (chloramphenicol) translation had opposite effects on the two gene families. Careful evaluation of the inhibitors' action indicates that protein synthesis (cytosol) is required for the expression of Pin 2 genes but not for the patatin genes. These results clearly demonstrate that, although in situ both gene families are constitutively expressed in the same plant organ (tuber) in intact plants, their expression is mediated by different factors.Abbreviations ABA cis-abscisic acid - DCMU 3-(3,4-dichlorphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea - GUS -glucuronidase activity - MeJA methyl jasmonate - Pin 2 proteinase inhibitor II We thank Beate Küsgen and Regina Breitfeld for the greenhouse work. This work was supported by a grant from the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie.     

九龙江口秋茄（Kandelia candel）红树林掉落叶自然分解与落叶腐解微生物的关系

 通过对九龙江口秋茄红树林人工模拟凋落叶自然分解过程中落叶腐解与落叶腐解微生物变化的研究,结果表明：1．随落叶分解进程,落叶腐解微生物数量有了显著地变化;就细菌、放线菌和丝状真菌等三大类群微生物数量来看,整个过程以细菌占绝对优势,其数量在200×104一8800×104个／克干重,占三大类群微生物总数量的96—99%以上。这表明细菌是落叶分解起主要作用的微生物类群。2．微生物各生理类群中,以氨化细菌数量最多,在26×104一180×104个／克干重;而亚硝化细菌,反硝化细菌及纤维分解菌分别仅在0.03×104一0.24×104,0.03×104一0.10×104及1.14×104一7.33×104个／克干重。表明氨化细菌是有机物质无机化的主要生理类群。并且氨化作用、亚硝化作用和反硝化作用是同时进行;并随落叶腐解周期的延长(半腐解周期内)而加强,唯强度不一,它反映了该生境干、湿交替的沼泽化特点。纤维分解菌数量的变化较特殊,在落叶腐解第2周时,有了明显增多,至第4周达全周期的最高值,而以后周期都与初始叶面纤维分解菌的数量相近,甚至减少。从微生物活性的变化测定结果来看,与上述微生物生理类群的变化特点是相一致的。3．在该生境中,落叶腐解速度是很快的,当落叶入土1周后将近1／4有机物被腐解,至第6周达半腐解状态。随落叶腐解有机物质无机化程度的加速,残叶中单位叶重的可溶性总糖含量和全磷量都明显地减少,而全氮含量显著地增加。