Abscisic acid, indole-3-acetic acid and mineral–nutrient changes induced by drought and salinity in longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) plants

Longan species (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) exhibit a high agronomic potential in many subtropical regions worldwide; however, little is known about its responses to abiotic stress conditions. Drought and salinity are the most environmental factors inducing negative effects on plant growth and development. In order to elucidate the responses of longan to drought and salinity, seedlings were grown under conditions of drought and salt stresses. Drought was imposed by suspending water supply leading to progressive soil dehydration, and salinity was induced using two concentrations of NaCl, 100 and 150 mM in water solution, for 64 days. Data showed that salt concentrations increased foliar abscisic acid (ABA) and only 150 mM NaCl reduced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and increased proline levels. NaCl treatments also increased Na⁺ and Cl^? content in plant organs proportionally to salt concentration. Drought increased leaf ABA but did not change IAA concentrations, and also increased proline synthesis. In addition, drought and salt stresses reduced the photosynthesis performance; however, only drought decreased leaf growth and relative leaf water content. Overall, data indicate that under severe salt stress, high ABA accumulation was accompanied by a reduction of IAA levels; however, drought strongly increased ABA but did not change IAA concentrations. Moreover, drought and high salinity similarly increased (or maintained) ion levels and proline synthesis. Data also suggest that ABA accumulation may mitigate the impact of salt stress through inducing stomatal closure and delaying water loss, but did not mediate the effects of long-term drought conditions probably because leaves reached a strong dehydration and the role of ABA at this stage was not effective to detain leaf injuries.     

Hormonal changes in papaya seedlings subjected to progressive water stress and re-watering

Changes on abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels were investigated in papaya seedlings (Carica papaya L.) cv. “Baixinho de Santa Amalia” under progressive water stress and subsequent rehydration. Also, the behaviour of leaf gas exchange and leaf growth was determined under stress condition. The results indicated that ABA and JA differ in their pattern of change under water stress. ABA continuously increased in leaves and roots during the whole period of stress whereas JA showed a sharp increase and a later decrease in both organs. Re-watering reduced rapidly (24 h) leaf and root ABA to control levels whereas the influence on JA levels could not be assessed. Drought and recovery did not alter IAA levels in leaf and root tissues of papaya seedlings. In addition, water stress reduced stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, the percentage of attached leaves and leaf growth. Rehydration reverted in few days the effects of stress on leaf growth and gas exchange parameters. Overall, the data suggest that ABA could be involved in the induction of several progressive responses such as the induction of stomatal closure and leaf abscission to reduce papaya water loss. In addition, the pattern of accumulation of JA is compatible with a triggering signal upstream ABA. The unaltered levels of IAA could suggest a certain adaptive ability of papaya to maintain active physiological processes under progressive drought stress.     

Influence of Exogenous Glycine Betaine and Abscisic Acid on Papaya in Responses to Water-deficit Stress

The effects of exogenous foliar glycine betaine (GB) and abscisic acid (ABA) on papaya responses to water stress were investigated under distinct water regimes. Papaya seedlings (Carica papaya L. cultivar “BH-65”) were pretreated with GB or ABA and subsequently subjected to consecutive periods of drought, rehydration, and a second period of drought conditions. Results indicated that water stress induced ABA, jasmonic acid (JA), and proline accumulation but did not modify malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration. In addition, water deprivation reduced photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, relative water content (RWC), leaf fresh weight, and increased leaf abscission. GB applied prior to drought imposition decreased the impact of water stress on ABA, JA, proline accumulation, leaf water status, growth, and photosynthetic performance. However, ABA-pretreated plants did not show alteration of most of these parameters under water stress conditions when compared with non-pretreated plants except a clear induction of JA accumulation. Taken together, the data suggest that GB may modulate ABA, JA, and proline accumulation through the control of stomatal movement and the high availability of compatible solutes, leading to improvement of leaf water status, growth, and photosynthetic machinery function. In contrast, exogenous ABA did not stimulate papaya physiological responses under drought, but interestingly ABA in combination with drought could induce progressive JA synthesis, unlike drought alone, which induces a transitory JA increase and may trigger endogenous ABA accumulation. The data also suggest that irrespective of the pretreatments, papaya did not suffer oxidative damage.     

Effect of Zinc Sulfate and Boric Acid on the Hormonal Status of Potato Plants in Relation to Tuberization

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants were grown in a greenhouse using zinc- and boron-deficient soil. The effects of seed-tuber treatment with 3 mM zinc sulfate and 8 mM boric acid on the content and ratio of phytohormones in the leaves and mature tubers, the indices of photosynthetic activity, the rate and NaF-sensitivity of respiration, and the tuber growth were studied. Zinc-sulfate treatment shifted the hormonal balance toward a substantial increase in the cytokinin content and the cytokinin/ABA ratio, as well as a decrease in the IAA/cytokinin ratio. Boric-acid treatment resulted in an increase in the IAA content and IAA/cytokinin ratio. Zinc-sulfate treatment abolished the apical dominance and increased the tuber weight due to their increased number and the number of phellem (cork) cell layers. Boric-acid treatment increased cell diameter in the tuber perimedullary zone; an increase in tuber weight per plant was related to tuber growth. A relationship between changes in the plant hormonal status induced by zinc-sulfate and boric-acid treatments and the activity of physiological processes is discussed.     

Evidence that abscisic acid does not regulate a centralized whole-plant response to low soil-resource availability

It has been suggested that abscisic acid (ABA) regulates a centralized response of plants to low soil resource availability that is characterized by decreased shoot growth relative to root growth, decreased photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, and decreased plant growth rate. The hypothesis was tested that an ABA-deficient mutant of tomato (flacca; flc) would not exhibit the same pattern of down-regulation of photosynthesis, conductance, leaf area and growth, as well as increased root/shoot partitioning, as its near isogenic wild-type in response to nitrogen or water deficiency, or at least not exhibit these responses to the same degree. Plants were grown from seed in acid-washed sand and exposed to control, nutrient stress, or water stress treatments. Additionally, exogenous ABA was sprayed onto the leaves of a separate group of flc individuals in each treatment. Growth analysis, based on data from frequent harvests of a few individuals, was used to assess the growth and partitioning responses of plants, and gas exchange characteristics were measured on plants throughout the experiment to examine the response of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance. Differences in growth, partitioning and gas exchange variables were found between flc and wild-type individuals, and both nutrient and water treatments caused significant reductions in relative growth rate (RGR) and changes in biomass partitioning. Only the nutrient treatment caused significant reductions in photosynthetic rates. However, flc and wild-type plants responded identically to nutrient and water stress for all but one of the variables measured. The exception was that flc showed a greater decrease in the relative change in leaf area per unit increase of plant biomass (an estimate of the dynamics of leaf area ratio) in response to nutrient stress—a result that is opposite to that predicted by the centralized stress response model. Furthermore, addition of exogenous ABA to flc did not significantly alter any of the responses to nutrient and water stress that we examined. Although it was clear that ABA regulated short-term stomatal responses, we found no evidence to support a pivotal role for ABA, at least absolute amounts of ABA, in regulating a centralized whole-plant response to low soil resource availability.     

外源脱落酸对干旱胁迫下滇润楠幼苗生长及生理特性的影响

以滇润楠一年生实生苗为试验材料,研究在良好水分条件(土壤含水量为70%～75%田间持水量)、轻度干旱胁迫及重度干旱胁迫处理下(50%～55%和30%～35%田间持水量)进行外源脱落酸(ABA)喷施对其生长及生理特性的影响。结果表明: 干旱胁迫使得滇润楠幼苗叶片的相对含水量、株高和生物量显著下降,净光合速率及叶绿素荧光参数(PSⅡ最大光化学效率,F_v/F_m)有不同程度的下降,而根冠比、膜脂过氧化产物丙二醛(MDA)含量显著增加。外源ABA的喷施可提高干旱胁迫下滇润楠幼苗的适应性,尤其是重度干旱下,外源ABA显著提高了叶片相对含水量21.0%,同时增加了植株株高和生物量的累积,提高了根冠比,为良好水分条件的2.1倍;减少了干旱下膜脂过氧化产物MDA的累积,提高了抗氧化酶过氧化氢酶、超氧化物岐化酶的活性,显著增加了脯氨酸的含量,为良好水分条件的7.7倍。外源ABA的喷施显著缓解了干旱胁迫对植株光合器官的不利影响,减少干旱引起的叶片净光合速率及气孔导度的下降,并且减轻了PSⅡ受到干旱的伤害程度,重度干旱下喷施ABA的植株的F_v/F_m显著高于未喷施ABA的植株。外源ABA的喷施可以减轻干旱对滇润楠植株的伤害,提高其抗旱性。     

核素铯胁迫下接种摩西球囊霉对宿根高粱内源激素和光合的影响

通过盆栽试验研究了宿根高粱接种摩西球囊霉形成共生体后在核素铯污染胁迫下内源激素和光合生理的响应.结果表明： 铯胁迫促进了宿根高粱叶片脱落酸(ABA)的合成,降低了生长素(IAA)、赤霉素(GA)以及玉米素核苷(ZR)的积累,从而导致了ABA/IAA和ABA/GA明显升高,接种摩西球囊霉减少了铯胁迫下IAA、GA以及ZR的降幅以及ABA的增幅,维持了ABA/IAA、ABA/GA和ABA/（IAA+GA+ZR）的稳定性;铯胁迫显著降低了植物净光合速率(P_n)、气孔导度(g_s)、胞间CO₂浓度(C_i)、蒸腾速率(T_r)、光呼吸(P_r)以及暗呼吸(D_r)等光合指标和呼吸指标,造成植物光合效率降低,接种摩西球囊霉缓解了铯胁迫给植物光合效率造成的负效应.说明在利用植物修复核素污染土壤时可引入摩西球囊霉等丛枝菌根真菌,以提高植物光合效率及同化产物,增强植物耐性,提高修复效率.     

Indole acetic acid (IAA) induced changes in growth, relative water contents and gas exchange attributes of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grown under water stress conditions

Effect of different concentrations of indole acetic acid (IAA) under varying soil water deficit conditions on two barley cultivars viz. B-99094 and Jau-87 was investigated in soil filled earthen pots. There were six treatments including control each with four replicates. Three concentrations of IAA (0, 15 and 30 mg l⁻¹) were applied as foliar spray 30 days after germination. After hormone application, half of the pots were subjected to one cycle of water stress (withholding of water till incipient wilting), followed by regular watering. Plant height, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency relative water content, dry biomass, and grain yield/plant were significantly reduced by water stress. However, IAA treatments alleviated the adverse effect of water stress and successful in enhancing the plant growth and yield of barley cultivars. Barley cultivar Jau-87 performed better than B-99094. IAA application␣was effective in enhancing growth and photosynthetic efficiency of barley both under normal and water stress conditions.     

Alterations in carbon and nitrogen metabolism induced by water deficit in the stems and leaves of Lupinus albus L.

Water deficit (WD) in Lupinus albus L. brings about tissue-specific responses that are dependent on stress intensity. Carbohydrate metabolism is very sensitive to changes in plant water status. Six days from withholding water (DAW), sucrose, glucose and fructose levels of the leaf blade had already increased over 5-fold, and the activities of SS and INV(A) had increased c. 1.5-2 times. From 9 DAW on, when stress intensity was more pronounced, these effects were reversed with fructose and glucose concentrations as well as INV(A) activity dropping in parallel. The stem (specifically the stele) responded to the stress intensification with striking increases in the concentration of sugars, N and S, and in the induction of thaumatin-like-protein and an increase in chitinase and peroxidase. At 13 DAW, the plants lost most of the leaves but on rewatering they fully recovered. Thus, the observed changes appear to contribute to a general mechanism of survival under drought, the stem playing a key role in that process.     

Cassava Response to Water Deficit in Deep Pots: Root and Shoot Growth, ABA, and Carbohydrate Reserves in Stems, Leaves and Storage Roots

Cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) is an important staple crop for tropical climates worldwide, including drought-prone environments where it is valued for its reliable yield. The extent to which stress tolerance involves regulation of growth and carbon balance aided by remobilization of carbohydrate from various plant parts was investigated. Plants were grown in 1-meter high pots to permit observation of deep rooting while they were subjected to four soil water regimes over a 30-d period. Transpiration declined abruptly in conjunction with leaf ABA accumulation and severe leaf abscission. In water stressed plants, growth of all plant parts decreased substantially; however, a basal rate of leaf growth continued to provide some new leaves, and although growth of fibrous lateral roots was reduced, main root elongation to deeper regions was only modestly decreased by stress. In leaf blades and petioles, sugars were the predominant form of nonstructural carbohydrate and about one third was in starch; these reserves were depleted rapidly during stress. In contrast, stems and storage roots maintained relatively high starch concentrations and contents per organ until final harvest. Stems gradually lost starch and had sufficient reserves to serve as a prolonged source of remobilized carbohydrate during stress. The amount of starch stored in stems represented about 35 % of the reserve carbohydrate in the plant at the onset of water stress (T₀), and 6 % of total plant dry mass. We suggest that this pool of carbohydrate reserves is important in sustaining meristems, growing organs, and respiring organs during a prolonged stress and providing reserves for regrowth upon resumed rainfall.     

Quantitative relationship between indole-3-acetic acid and abscisic acid during leaf growth in Coleus blumei

Quantitative determinations by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry ofindole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) in growing leaves ofColeusblumei plants show parallel declines in leaf concentrations of bothhormones,except in leaf number 3 (about three-fourths of full size) where IAA level wasthe lowest of those measured. Expansion of the most recently unfurled leaf tofull size serves, in effect, to dilute both IAA and ABA about 1.7 to 1.Althoughabsolute levels of leaf IAA varied as much as an order of magnitude from onebatch of plants to another, ABA levels were proportional to the IAA level withan overall correlation coefficient of 0.91. Evidence, both correlative andcausal, for the determination of ABA status by IAA—and of IAA status byABA—in leaves and other developing organs is summarized.     

Sensing of soil water status and the regulation of plant growth and development

Abstract. It is now clear that drying of the soil does not always result in an early change in shoot water status. This may be because stomata close and leaf growth slows to reduce water loss. When this is the case, it is necessary to ask how the change in soil water status has been 'sensed'by the shoot. The current view is that soil drying results in some type of chemical signalling between roots and shoots. The sensitivity of the response and experiments involving the manipulation of small parts of root systems suggest that the signalling involves more than a simple change in root activity in response to soil drying. In this paper, we consider the evidence for chemical signalling between roots and shoots and discuss the possible candidates for such signals. In some plants, root-sourced ABA can apparently influence shoot physiology and growth in the absence of any perturbation of shoot water relations. The ABA produced is quantitatively sufficient to account for the responses observed. Applied ABA can mimic many of the effects of soil drying on plants, including effects at the plasma membrane and on gene expression. Perhaps uniquely, ABA seems to be involved in signalling between different plant organs, and in signalling at the transmembrane and genome levels. We review the effects of ABA on leaf cells with a view to gaining some understanding of how soil drying may influence plant development.     

Effect of water stress on transport of [2-14C]abscisic acid in intact plants ofPhaseolus coccineus L.

Summary Eight- to 10-day-old plants ofPhaseolus coccineus, which grow on vermiculite with a water content of 12–17% of the water-holding capacity, stop growing completely, whereas water potential and relative water content are almost unaffected. [2-¹⁴C]Abscisic acid, which is applied to the midrib of a primary leaf, is transported especially to the roots and the apical bud, but not to the second primary leaf and the cotyledons. Water-stressed plants, however, export only negligible amounts of ABA from the donor leaf to the plant. Thus an accumulation of ABA occurs in the donor leaf. Consequently water stress can increase ABA concentration in leaves not only by stimulating ABA synthesis but also by inhibiting ABA transport. Recovery of growth and ABA transport after reirrigation is very weak. Water stress has no effect on ABA metabolism in bean plants.Abbreviations ABA abscisic acid - GA gibberellic acid - IAA indoleacetic acid - RWC relative water content in plants - TLC thin-layer chromatography     

Changes in cytokinin,auxin, and abscisic acid contents in wheat seedlings treated with the growth regulator Stifun

The growth regulator Stifun at all concentrations tested (0.033, 0.33, 3.3, and 33 mg/L) affected the hormonal status of wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Zhnitsa) and stimulated plant growth. This was evident in activation of cell division and elongation, as well as in the increase in shoot and root length, water content, and dry weight. Effects of Stifun on roots and shoots depended on concentration. Application of Stifun at the optimal growth-stimulating concentration (0.033 mg/L) elevated the levels of zeatin, zeatin riboside, dihydrozeatin riboside, isopentenyladenosine, and IAA in roots of 2-day-old seedlings, but reduced the ABA content. The levels of ABA, IAA, dihydrozeatin, and dihydrozeatin riboside in shoots increased, while the levels of zeatin riboside, isopentenyl adenine, and isopentenyladenosine decreased. The results indicate that the hormonal system plays a part in the plant response to growth-stimulating action of Stifun.     

The effect of plant growth regulator treatments on the levels of ethylene emanating from excised turgid and wilted wheat leaves

Abscisic acid (ABA) inhibits the production of ethylene induced by water stress in excised wheat leaves and counteracts the stimulatory effect of 6-benzyladenine (BA) on this process. The stimulatory effect of BA and the inhibitory effect of ABA were equally pronounced whether external or endogenous ethylene levels were determined. When leaves were sprayed or floated on solutions of BA, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA₃), or ABA, the relative activities of these growth regulators on stress-induced ethylene at 10^-4 mol l^-1 were BA>IAA >GA₃>controls>ABA. In non-stressed leaves, however, where the levels of ethylene produced were 2–20 times smaller, the relative activities were IAA >BA>GA₃>controls>ABA. The effects of BA and ABA spray treatment on water stress induced ethylene were closely similar whether the solutions were applied 2 or 18 h prior to the initiation of water stress. The relationships between the levels of endogenous growth regulators in the plant and ethylene release induced by water stress are discussed.Abbreviations BA 6-benzyladenine - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - GA₃ gibberellic acid - ABA abscisic acid - GLC gas-liquid chromatography - _leaf leaf water potential     

Metabolic and Regulatory Responses in Citrus Rootstocks in Response to Adverse Environmental Conditions

In response to adverse environmental conditions, plants modify their metabolism to adapt to the new conditions. To differentiate common responses to abiotic stress from specific adaptation to a certain stress condition, two citrus rootstocks (Carrizo citrange and Cleopatra mandarin) with a different ability to tolerate stress were subjected to soil flooding and drought, two water stress conditions. In response to these conditions, both genotypes showed altered root proline and phenylpropanoid levels, especially cinnamic acid, which was a common feature to Carrizo and Cleopatra. This was correlated with alterations in the levels of phenylpropanoid derivatives likely involved in lignin biosynthesis. In the regulatory part, levels of both stress hormones abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA) decreased in response to soil flooding irrespective of the genotype’s relative flooding tolerance, but, on the other hand, the concentration of both metabolites increased in response to drought, showing a transient accumulation of JA after a few days and a progressive pattern of ABA increase. These responses are probably associated with different regulatory processes under soil flooding and drought. In addition, alterations in indole acetic acid (IAA) levels in citrus roots seemed to be associated with particular stress tolerance. Moreover, both genotypes exhibited a low degree of overlap in the metabolites induced under similar stress conditions, indicating a specific mechanism to cope with stress in plant species. Results also indicated a different metabolic basal status in both genotypes that could contribute to stress tolerance.     

Effects of varied water regimes on root length,dry matter partitioning and endogenous plant growth regulators in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to quantify the effect of varied water regimes on root length, partitioning of dry matter and plant growth regulators by using sunflower genotypes differing in maturity and drought tolerance. Significant depressing effect of drought stress was evident on traits (i.e., reproductive dry matter, leaf area index and cytokinin concentrations in leaves). However, root/shoot, reproductive/vegetative ratios and Abscisic acid (ABA) concentration were found to increase under drought stress. Drought stress also changed the dry matter accumulation pattern of genotypes. In most cases it reduced the days to reach the maximum peak showing early senescence.

ABA was identified as a multi-functional plant growth regulator under drought stress, causing early senescence of plants and translocation of assimilates to the roots and reproductive part while root growth under drought stress was explained by the indole-acetic acid (IAA) concentrations. Maintaining higher cytokinin contents were involved in accumulation of higher reproductive dry matter under drought stress. Although ABA and IAA were both involved in the development of defense responses during the adaptation and survival to drought stress but higher productivity under drought stress was only realized through maintaining higher cytokinin contents.