Responses of Melaleuca quinquenervia seedlings to flooding

Abstract Studies were conducted on effects of flooding for 15, 30, 60, and 90 days on morphological changes, stomatal aperture, water potential, and growth of seedlings of Melaleuca quinquenervia, a species often planted for reclamation of swamps. Flooding rapidly induced formation of many hair-like adventitious roots as well as a few thick adventitious roots that originated on the original root system. Some adventitious roots also formed on submerged portions of the stem. Melaleuca seedlings were very tolerant of flooding as shown by only slight reduction in dry weight increment of shoots after 30 days of flooding in stagnant water. Although flooding for 60 or 90 days significantly reduced dry weight increment of leaves, dry weight increment of roots was not inhibited by any flooding treatment, reflecting both degeneration of some of the original roots and compensatory growth of adventitious roots. On certain days flooding induced stomatal closure on both adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces. Extensive production of adventitious roots and some stomatal reopening after a critical period of flooding appeared to be important factors in the flooding tolerance of Melaleuca and are consistent with its aggressiveness and vigorous growth on wet sites.     

Variations among woody plants in stomatal conductance and photosynthesis during and after drought

Acer saccharum, Fraxinus americana, Juglans nigra, Acer rubrum, Cornus amomum, and Ulmus americana seedlings were subjected to a soil drying cycle and then rewatered. At frequent intervals during the drying cycle and following rewatering, determinations were made of equilibrium photosynthesis rates, leaf conductances and leaf water potentials. As the drying cycle progressed, leaf water potentials decreased, stomata closed, and rates of transpiration and photosynthesis were reduced. Stomata of the two Acer species initially were more sensitive to water stress than were those of the other species. At low leaf water potentials, stomata of Juglans and Cornus were more open than those of the other species. Photosynthesis of Acer saccharum, Fraxinus and Juglans was significantly reduced by plant water stress, while photosynthetic water use efficiency of Cornus and Juglans was most unfavourable. Photosynthesis/leaf conductance ratios in water stressed leaves were higher in Fraxinus than in the other species. Immediately after rewatering, only limited stomatal opening occurred in Acer saccharum and Cornus with recovery of stomatal opening most protracted in Fraxinus and Ulmus. There was extended reduction of photosynthesis of all species as a result of the soil drying treatment. This effect was most significant in Acer saccharum and Juglans. Survival of plants on moist and dry sites is discussed in relation to stomatal control of transpiration and metabolic responses to water stress. Research supported by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison and the International Shade Tree Conference. The cooperation of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is acknowledged. Research supported by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison and the International Shade Tree Conference. The cooperation of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is acknowledged.     

Stomatal response of hybrid poplar to incident light, sudden darkening and leaf excision

Responses of abaxial and adaxial stomata of Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray. × P. deltoides Bartr. (ex Marsh.) cv. Unal to incident light, sudden darkening and leaf excision in the light and in the dark were studied on 5-year-old trees in the field using diffusion porometry. Stomatal closure in the dark was found to be incomplete in most cases studies. Stomata closed after leaf excision in the dark within 90 min. Stomatal closure after darkening of an entire tree or an entire branch (white the rest of the tree was in the light) was slower, and complete stomatal closure was noticed only for adaxial stomata after 3 h. Adaxial stomata were more reactive and sensitive than abaxial stomata to sudden darkening and leaf excision in the light and the dark. In all treatments, stomatal response was more responsive in mature leaves than in young, still expanding leaves.     

Rapid hydraulic recovery in Eucalyptus pauciflora after drought: linkages between stem hydraulics and leaf gas exchange

In woody plants, photosynthetic capacity is closely linked to rates at which the plant hydraulic system can supply water to the leaf surface. Drought‐induced embolism can cause sharp declines in xylem hydraulic conductivity that coincide with stomatal closure and reduced photosynthesis. Recovery of photosynthetic capacity after drought is dependent on restored xylem function, although few data exist to elucidate this coordination. We examined the dynamics of leaf gas exchange and xylem function in Eucalyptus pauciflora seedlings exposed to a cycle of severe water stress and recovery after re‐watering. Stomatal closure and leaf turgor loss occurred at water potentials that delayed the extensive spread of embolism through the stem xylem. Stem hydraulic conductance recovered to control levels within 6 h after re‐watering despite a severe drought treatment, suggesting an active mechanism embolism repair. However, stomatal conductance did not recover after 10 d of re‐watering, effecting tighter control of transpiration post drought. The dynamics of recovery suggest that a combination of hydraulic and non‐hydraulic factors influenced stomatal behaviour post drought.     

Comparison of four methods for measuring osmotic potential of tree leaves

Osmotic potential (π) of tree leaves is usually determined by pressure-volume (PV) analysis, which is too time consuming for large-scale assessments such as ecological surveys and genetic screening. We investigated methods for rapid measurement of π in sclerophyllous species. The osmotic potential of expressed sap (ES), freeze-thaw leaf discs and hot water extracts – measured using a variety of techniques – were compared with PV analysis using sclerophyllous species; Eucalyptus globulus Labill. , E . camaldulensis Dehnh. , E . cladocalyx F. Muell. and non-sclerophyllous species; Populus nigra L and Alnus jorullensis H.B.K. All methods were sensitive to changes in π and produced results that were unequal but well correlated (r² 0.82–0.90). The proportion of leaf water extracted in ES was reduced by low water content and sclerophylly without affecting method accuracy. PV analysis provided a poor correction for apoplastic dilution of ES. Results of ES osmometry and PV analysis were comparable, and osmometry of ES is proposed as a suitable method for large-scale investigations of leaf π.     

Effects of low level O3 exposure on leaf diffusive conductance and water-use efficiency in hybrid poplar

Abstract Young, amphistomatous hybrid poplar (Populus deltoides x trichocarpa) plants were exposed daily to either background (0.025 cm³ m^-3) or elevated (0.125 cm³ m^-3) concentrations of O₃. Levels of abaxial and adaxial leaf conductance were affected interactively by pollutant treatment, leaf age, and photon fluence rate. Consequently, conductance in O₃-treated leaves was sometimes higher and sometimes lower than in comparable control leaves, depending on leaf age or level of photon fluence rate. For example, at low photon fluence rate or in the dark, conductance was greater in O₃-treated than in control plants, while at high photon fluence rate that relationship was reversed. Exposure to O₃ also reduced the water-use efficiency and range of leaf conductance of individual leaves, and altered the relationship between the conductances of the two leaf surfaces (the ratio of abaxial to adaxial leaf conductance was increased). Furthermore, O₃ treatment resulted in diminished stomatal control of water loss; excised O₃-treated leaves had higher conductances and wilted sooner than excised control leaves of identical ages. Overall, the data indicate that exposure to O₃ resulted in impaired stomatal function.     

Hydraulic efficiency and coordination with xylem resistance to cavitation, leaf function, and growth performance among eight unrelated Populus deltoidesxPopulus nigra hybrids

Tests were carried out to determine whether variations in the hydraulic architecture of eight Populus deltoides×Populus nigra genotypes could be related to variations in leaf function and growth performance. Measurements were performed in a coppice plantation on 1-year-old shoots under optimal irrigation. Hydraulic architecture was characterized through estimates of hydraulic efficiency (the ratio of conducting sapwood area to leaf area, A(X):A(L); leaf- and xylem-specific hydraulic conductance of defoliated shoots, k(SL) and k(SS), respectively; apparent whole-plant leaf-specific hydraulic conductance, k(plant)) and xylem safety (water potential inducing 50% loss in hydraulic conductance). The eight genotypes spanned a significant range of k(SL) from 2.63 kg s(-1) m(-2) MPa(-1) to 4.18 kg s(-1) m(-2) MPa(-1), variations being mostly driven by k(SS) rather than A(X):A(L). There was a strong trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and xylem safety. Values of k(SL) correlated positively with k(plant), indicating that high-pressure flowmeter (HPFM) measurements of stem hydraulic efficiency accurately reflected whole-plant water transport efficiency of field-grown plants at maximum transpiration rate. No clear relationship could be found between hydraulic efficiency and either net CO(2) assimilation rates, water-use efficiency estimates (intrinsic water-use efficiency and carbon isotope discrimination against (13)C), or stomatal characteristics (stomatal density and stomatal pore area index). Estimates of hydraulic efficiency were negatively associated with relative growth rate. This unusual pattern, combined with the trade-off observed between hydraulic efficiency and xylem safety, provides the rationale for the positive link already reported between relative growth rate and xylem safety among the same eight P. deltoides×P. nigra genotypes.     

Relations between stomatal closure, leaf turgor and xylem vulnerability in eight tropical dry forest trees

This study examined the linkage between xylem vulnerability, stomatal response to leaf water potential (Ψ_L), and loss of leaf turgor in eight species of seasonally dry tropical forest trees. In order to maximize the potential variation in these traits species that exhibit a range of leaf habits and phenologies were selected. It was found that in all species stomatal conductance was responsive to Ψ_L over a narrow range of water potentials, and that Ψ_L inducing 50% stomatal closure was correlated with both the Ψ_L inducing a 20% loss of xylem hydraulic conductivity and leaf water potential at turgor loss in all species. In contrast, there was no correlation between the water potential causing a 50% loss of conductivity in the stem xylem, and the water potential at stomatal closure (Ψ_SC) amongst species. It was concluded that although both leaf and xylem characters are correlated with the response of stomata to Ψ_L, there is considerable flexibility in this linkage. The range of responses is discussed in terms of the differing leaf‐loss strategies exhibited by these species.     

PeCHYR1, a ubiquitin E3 ligase from Populus euphratica,enhances drought tolerance via ABA‐induced stomatal closure by ROS production in Populus

Drought, a primary abiotic stress, seriously affects plant growth and productivity. Stomata play a vital role in regulating gas exchange and drought adaptation. However, limited knowledge exists of the molecular mechanisms underlying stomatal movement in trees. Here, PeCHYR1, a ubiquitin E3 ligase, was isolated from Populus euphratica, a model of stress adaptation in forest trees. PeCHYR1 was preferentially expressed in young leaves and was significantly induced by ABA (abscisic acid) and dehydration treatments. To study the potential biological functions of PeCHYR1, transgenic poplar 84K (Populus alba × Populus glandulosa) plants overexpressing PeCHYR1 were generated. PeCHYR1 overexpression significantly enhanced H₂O₂ production and reduced stomatal aperture. Transgenic lines exhibited increased sensitivity to exogenous ABA and greater drought tolerance than that of WT (wild‐type) controls. Moreover, up‐regulation of PeCHYR1 promoted stomatal closure and decreased transpiration, resulting in strongly elevated WUE (water use efficiency). When exposed to drought stress, transgenic poplar maintained higher photosynthetic activity and biomass accumulation. Taken together, these results suggest that PeCHYR1 plays a crucial role in enhancing drought tolerance via ABA‐induced stomatal closure caused by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production in transgenic poplar plants.     

Impact of drought on productivity and water use efficiency in 29 genotypes of Populus deltoides x Populus nigra

We examined the relationships among productivity, water use efficiency (WUE) and drought tolerance in 29 genotypes of Populus x euramericana (Populus deltoides x Populus nigra), and investigated whether some leaf traits could be used as predictors for productivity, WUE and drought tolerance. At Orléans, France, drought was induced on one field plot by withholding water, while a second plot remained irrigated and was used as a control. Recorded variables included stem traits (e.g. biomass) and leaf structural (e.g. leaf area) and functional traits [e.g. intrinsic water use efficiency (Wi) and carbon isotope discrimination (Delta)]. Productivity and Delta displayed large genotypic variability and were not correlated. Delta scaled negatively with Wi and positively with stomatal conductance under moderate drought, suggesting that the diversity for Delta was mainly driven by stomatal conductance. Most of the productive genotypes displayed a low level of drought tolerance (i.e. a large reduction of biomass), while the less productive genotypes presented a large range of drought tolerance. The ability to increase WUE in response to water deficit was necessary but not sufficient to explain the genotypic diversity of drought tolerance.     

Hydraulic Conductance and Stomatal Sensitivity to Changes of Leaf Water Status in Six Deciduous Tree Species

The relationship between shoot hydraulic conductance (L) and stomatal sensitivity to changes in leaf water status was studied in the saplings of six deciduous tree species. L increased significantly in sequence: Acer platanoides < Tilia Cordata < Padus avium = Quercus robur < Salix caprea = Populus tremula. L was higher in the trees grown in soil with a higher nitrogen content and lower in the trees grown under mild water stress or kept in darkness for several days. L was higher in July than in September in all the species. L correlated positively with maximum photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and stomatal sensitivity to an increase in leaf water potential, but negatively with stomatal sensitivity to a decrease in leaf water potential. The correlations between L and any other parameter were approximated by three different curves: data for water-stressed plants fit to the first, data for plants kept in darkness fit to the second and all the other data fit to the third curve. The reasons of the differences of shoot hydraulic conductance in the different experimental sets and the mechanisms which may cause the correlation between L and the other characteristics are discussed.     

冬小麦近轴和远轴叶面气孔对土壤水分胁迫反应的敏感性

当根层土壤水分含量不足,作物体内出现水分胁迫时,小麦叶片两面气孔的反应有明显差异。远轴叶面气孔对水分胁迫的反应比近轴叶面气孔敏感。当出现水分胁迫时,远轴叶面气孔首先收缩,且收缩的程度比近轴叶面气孔大。远轴与近轴叶面气孔阻力的比值(r_(ab)/r_(ab))与根层平均土壤水势(Ψ_s)有关,当Ψ_s大于-50 kPa时,r_(ab)/r_(ad)基本稳定在1.5左右,而当Ψ_s小于-50 kPa时,r_(ab )/r_(ab)随Ψ_s降低而明显增加。     

Stomatal action directly feeds back on leaf turgor: new insights into the regulation of the plant water status from non‐invasive pressure probe measurements

Uptake of CO₂ by the leaf is associated with loss of water. Control of stomatal aperture by volume changes of guard cell pairs optimizes the efficiency of water use. Under water stress, the protein kinase OPEN STOMATA 1 (OST1) activates the guard‐cell anion release channel SLOW ANION CHANNEL‐ASSOCIATED 1 (SLAC1), and thereby triggers stomatal closure. Plants with mutated OST1 and SLAC1 are defective in guard‐cell turgor regulation. To study the effect of stomatal movement on leaf turgor using intact leaves of Arabidopsis, we used a new pressure probe to monitor transpiration and turgor pressure simultaneously and non‐invasively. This probe permits routine easy access to parameters related to water status and stomatal conductance under physiological conditions using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Long‐term leaf turgor pressure recordings over several weeks showed a drop in turgor during the day and recovery at night. Thus pressure changes directly correlated with the degree of plant transpiration. Leaf turgor of wild‐type plants responded to CO₂, light, humidity, ozone and abscisic acid (ABA) in a guard cell‐specific manner. Pressure probe measurements of mutants lacking OST1 and SLAC1 function indicated impairment in stomatal responses to light and humidity. In contrast to wild‐type plants, leaves from well‐watered ost1 plants exposed to a dry atmosphere wilted after light‐induced stomatal opening. Experiments with open stomata mutants indicated that the hydraulic conductance of leaf stomata is higher than that of the root–shoot continuum. Thus leaf turgor appears to rely to a large extent on the anion channel activity of autonomously regulated stomatal guard cells.     

Photosynthetic Responses of a Temperate Liana to Xylella fastidiosa Infection and Water Stress

Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem‐limited bacterial plant pathogen that causes bacterial leaf scorch in its hosts. Our previous work showed that water stress enhances leaf scorch symptom severity and progression along the stem of a liana, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, infected by X. fastidiosa. This paper explores the photosynthetic gas exchange responses of P. quinquefolia, with the aim to elucidate mechanisms behind disease expression and its interaction with water stress. We used a 2 × 2‐complete factorial design, repeated over two growing seasons, with high and low soil moisture levels and infected and non‐infected plants. In both years, low soil moisture levels reduced leaf water potentials, net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance at all leaf positions, while X. fastidiosa‐infection reduced these parameters at basally located leaves only. Intercellular CO₂ concentrations were reduced in apical leaves, but increased at the most basal leaf location, implicating a non‐stomatal reduction of photosynthesis in leaves showing the greatest disease development. This result was supported by measured reductions in photosynthetic rates of basal leaves at high CO₂ concentrations, where stomatal limitation was eliminated. Repeated measurements over the summer of 2000 showed that the effects of water stress and infection were progressive over time, reaching their greatest extent in September. By reducing stomatal conductances at moderate levels of water stress, P. quinquefolia maintained relatively high leaf water potentials and delayed the onset of photosynthetic damage due to pathogen and drought‐induced water stress. In addition, chlorophyll fluorescence measurements showed that P. quinquefolia has an efficient means of dissipating excess light energy that protects the photosynthetic machinery of leaves from irreversible photoinhibitory damage that may occur during stress‐induced stomatal limitation of photosynthesis. However, severe stress induced by disease and drought eventually led to non‐stomatal decreases in photosynthesis associated with leaf senescence.     

Maintenance of photosynthetic capacity in flooded tomato plants with reduced ethylene sensitivity

Ethylene is considered one of the most important plant hormones orchestrating plant responses to flooding stress. However, ethylene may induce deleterious effects on plants, especially when produced at high rates in response to stress. In this paper, we explored the effect of attenuated ethylene sensitivity in the Never ripe (Nr) mutant on leaf photosynthetic capacity of flooded tomato plants. We found out that reduced ethylene perception in Nr plants was associated with a more efficient photochemical and non-photochemical radiative energy dissipation capability in response to flooding. The data correlated with the retention of chlorophyll and carotenoids content in flooded Nr leaves. Moreover, leaf area and specific leaf area were higher in Nr, indicating that ethylene would exert a negative role in leaf growth and expansion under flooded conditions. Although stomatal conductance was hampered in flooded Nr plants, carboxylation activity was not affected by flooding in the mutant, suggesting that ethylene is responsible for inducing non-stomatal limitations to photosynthetic CO₂ uptake. Upregulation of several cysteine protease genes and high protease activity led to Rubisco protein loss in response to ethylene under flooding. Reduction of Rubisco content would, at least in part, account for the reduction of its carboxylation efficiency in response to ethylene in flooded plants. Therefore, besides its role as a trigger of many adaptive responses, perception of ethylene entails limitations in light and dark photosynthetic reactions by speeding up the senescence process that leads to a progressive disassembly of the photosynthetic machinery in leaves of flooded tomato plants.     

Stomatal behavior and water relations of waterlogged tomato plants

The effects of waterlogging the soil on leaf water potential, leaf epidermal conductance, transpiration, root conductance to water flow, and petiole epinasty have been examined in the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Stomatal conductance and transpiration are reduced by 30% to 40% after approximately 24 hours of soil flooding. This is not due to a transient water deficit, as leaf water potential is unchanged, even though root conductance is decreased by the stress. The stomatal response apparently prevents any reduction in leaf water potential. Experiments with varied time of flooding, root excision, and stem girdling provide indirect evidence for an influence of roots in maintaining stomatal opening potential. This root-effect cannot be entirely accounted for by alterations in source-sink relationships. Although 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, the immediate precursor of ethylene, is transported from the roots to the shoots of waterlogged tomato plants, it has no direct effect on stomatal conductance. Ethylene-induced petiole epinasty develops coincident with partial stomatal closure in waterlogged plants. Leaf epinasty may have beneficial effects on plant water balance by reducing light interception.     

高温和低湿对干热河谷7个植被恢复树种光合参数的影响

采用人工气候室控制环境条件,研究了高温（30℃和40℃）对印楝（Azadirachta indica A．Juss．）、木豆[Cajanus cajan（Linn．）Huth]、赤桉（Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn．）、蓝桉（E．globulus Labillardiere）、柠檬桉（E．citriodoraHook．）、大叶相思（Acacia auriculiformis A．Cunn．）和麻风树（Jatropha curcas Linn．）7个干热河谷植被恢复树种幼苗叶片光合参数的影响,以及低湿条件对麻风树幼苗叶片光合参数的影响,并对高温及低湿条件下各树种叶片光合参数与叶片含水量的关系进行了探讨。结果表明：在高温条件下,供试树种叶片的净光合速率（Pn）和Fv／Fm值均随叶片含水量的提高逐渐增加,但在40℃条件下各树种的Pn以及刚nn值均明显降低,表明叶片含水量高有利于各树种叶片Pn和n／Fm的提高,而40℃高温则对其Pn和Fv／Frn有明显抑制作用。在非干旱条件下,高温对各树种幼苗的Pn、气孔导度（Gs）、胞间c0：浓度（ci）和蒸腾速率（Tr）均有不同程度影响。在40℃条件下,供试树种中印楝和赤桉幼苗的Pn降幅最小;大叶相思、蓝桉和木豆幼苗的Gs明显增加;各树种幼苗的ci均明显提高;除印楝外,其他6个树种幼苗的Tr明显加剧且叶片水分利用效率降低。在叶片含水量较高的状况下,供试7个树种中印楝和赤桉幼苗的FV／Fm值受高温的影响较小。在空气相对湿度20％的条件下,麻风树幼苗的Pn、Cs、ci及Tr均明显降低,且均随叶片含水量的提高而增加,表明叶片含水量下降是麻风树幼苗光合作用减弱的重要影响因素。研究结果表明：干热河谷地区的高温引起的植物光合限制以非气孔因素为主导;在供试的7个树种中,印楝和赤桉对干热河谷高温干旱生境的适应或忍耐能力较强。     

Role of water relations and photosynthesis in the release of buds from apical dominance and the early reinvigoration of decapitated poplars

A decrease in xylem pressure potential starting 1 h after decapitation of young hybrid poplars ( Populus deltoides Bartr. × Populus nigra L. cv. DN22) reduced stomatal conductance and transpiration rates for the first 3 days after decapitation. This early moisture stress was alleviated 4 to 5 days after decapitation, resulting in substantial increases in stomatal aperture, transpiration and net photosynthetic rates which continued for the remainder of the one week measurement period. The results suggest the following sequence of events in the decapitated plant: After a brief moisture stress, decapitation increases moisture availability by increasing the root/shoot ratio and by reducing shoot competition for moisture. Improvement in hydration releases buds from apical dominance and increases stomatal conductance and rates of net photosynthesis. This, in turn, leads to the acceleration of growth observed when plants are reinvigorated by decapitation.     

Stress responses in Salix gracilistyla cuttings subjected to repetitive alternate flooding and drought

To determine the tolerance of Salix gracilistyla to repetitive alternate flooding and drought, we measured leaf stomatal conductance, pre-dawn water potential, osmotic adjustment, and biomass production under greenhouse conditions. We used a control and nine crossed treatments (F1-D1–F3-D3) in which we combined 1-, 2-, or 3-week floodings (F) and droughts (D). Leaf stomatal conductance was lowest in 3 weeks of flooding or drought when the preceding event (flood or drought) was also of a 3-week duration. Leaf pre-dawn water potential was reduced in 3 weeks of drought when preceded by 2 or 3 weeks of flooding. Cuttings had slight osmotic adjustments in repetitions of long floodings and droughts. During longer durations of drought in crossed experiments, plants had low root and shoot mass, few hypertrophic lenticels, and reduced leaf mass; when flooding duration increased in crossed experiments, root mass was reduced, there were more hypertrophic lenticels, and the leaf area was reduced. Cuttings achieved stress tolerance by inhibition of transpiration, osmotic adjustment, reduction of transpiration area, and development of hypertrophic lenticels. Stress tolerance was weak when repetitive 2- or 3-week floodings were combined with 3-week droughts. The duration of flooding and drought periods under which S. gracilistyla achieves stress tolerance may be critical in determining distributions along riverbanks.     

PdEPF1 regulates water‐use efficiency and drought tolerance by modulating stomatal density in poplar

Water deficiency is a critical environmental condition that is seriously reducing global plant production. Improved water‐use efficiency (WUE) and drought tolerance are effective strategies to address this problem. In this study, PdEPF1, a member of the EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR (EPF) family, was isolated from the fast‐growing poplar clone NE‐19 [Populus nigra × (Populus deltoides × Populus nigra)]. Significantly, higher PdEPF1 levels were detected after induction by dehydration and abscisic acid. To explore the biological functions of PdEPF1, transgenic triploid white poplars (Populus tomentosa ‘YiXianCiZhu B385’) overexpressing PdEPF1 were constructed. PdEPF1 overexpression resulted in increased water deficit tolerance and greater WUE. We confirmed that the transgenic lines with greater instantaneous WUE had approximately 30% lower transpiration but equivalent CO₂ assimilation. Lower transpiration was associated with a 28% reduction in abaxial stomatal density. PdEPF1 overexpression not only strongly enhanced WUE, but also greatly improved drought tolerance, as measured by the leaf relative water content and water potential, under limited water conditions. In addition, the growth of these oxPdEPF1 plants was less adversely affected by reduced water availability than plants with a higher stomatal density, indicating that plants with a low stomatal density may be well suited to grow in water‐scarce environments. Taken together, our data suggest that PdEPF1 improves WUE and confers drought tolerance in poplar; thus, it could be used to breed drought‐tolerant plants with increased production under conditions of water deficiency.