Water and Osmotic Potentials of Ethephon-Treated Maize Genotypes Varying in Drought Resistance

Leaves of drought-resistant and drought-sensitive genotypes of maize (Zea mays L.) were sprayed with ethephon to determine its effect on water and osmotic potentials. With both sufficient and limited water supplies, ethephon decreased the water potential, but not the osmotic potential, of the drought-sensitive maize. It had no effect on the water and osmotic potentials of the drought-resistant maize under either water regime. The results showed that the response of a genotype of maize to ethephon depends upon its susceptibility to drought.     

Glutamine Synthetase Activity, Relative Water Content and Water Potential in Maize Submitted to Drought

Primer screening and optimization for random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis of cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) was investigated. Among four series (A, B, D and N) of 10-mer primers, A-series performed better amplification of fragments than other series. The maximum amplification fragments was obtained using OPA-02, OPA-03, OPA-09, OPB-06, OPB-10, OPD-03, OPD-05 and OPN-03 primers. The primers OPA-02 and OPN-03 produced maximum number of DNA fragments in Anacardium occidentale cv. H-320. Primers (OPB-08 and OPN-05 performed a least number of amplification fragments. RAPD profile also indicate that some primer did not produce good amplification. The primer OPA-02 amplified 12 number of polymorphic bands in 20 cultivars of cashew. Only one DNA fragment was produced in A. occidentale cv. Vridhachalam - 2 (M-44/3) by using the primer OPA-02. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Drought Responses of Foliar Metabolites in Three Maize Hybrids Differing in Water Stress Tolerance

Maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids varying in drought tolerance were treated with water stress in controlled environments. Experiments were performed during vegetative growth and water was withheld for 19 days beginning 17 days after sowing. Genotypic comparisons used measured changes of leaf water potential or results were expressed by time of treatment. Total dry matter of the drought tolerant hybrid on the final harvest was 53% less than that of the intermediate and susceptible maize hybrids when plants were water sufficient. This showed that maize hybrids selected for extreme drought tolerance possessed a dwarf phenotype that affected soil water contents and leaf water potentials. Changes of shoot and root growth, leaf water potential, net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance in response to the time of water stress treatment were diminished when comparing the drought tolerant to the intermediate or susceptible maize hybrids. Genotypic differences were observed in 26 of 40 total foliar metabolites during water stress treatments. Hierarchical clustering revealed that the tolerant maize hybrid initiated the accumulation of stress related metabolites at higher leaf water potentials than either the susceptible or intermediate hybrids. Opposite results occurred when changes of metabolites in maize leaves were expressed temporally. The above results demonstrated that genotypic differences were readily observed by comparing maize hybrids differing in drought tolerance based on either time of treatment or measured leaf water potential. Current findings provided new and potentially important insights into the mechanisms of drought tolerance in maize.     

Turgor Differences and Water Stress in Maize and Sorghum Leaves During Drought and Recovery

The pressure potentials (turgor pressure) in leaves of maize(Zea mays L.) and grain sorghum (Sorghum vulgare Pers.) plantssubjected to water stress in a controlled environment were estimatedfrom measurements of water and osmotic potentials. Changes inturgor pressure were larger in sorghum than in maize duringthe development of water stress and after re-watering. It issuggested that this indicates a lower cell wall elasticity insorghum than in maize. This fact may affect some of the physiologicalactivities of sorghum     

ABA对玉米响应干旱胁迫的调控机制

玉米(Zea mays L.)在生长期常常受到干旱的胁迫,而脱落酸(ABA)调节的生长响应是植物对逆境信号的一个基本反应. 本文对近年来国内外有关ABA提高玉米抗氧化防护系统,保护细胞免受氧化损伤,增加可溶性渗透剂(如脯氨酸)维持细胞内的水分,以及与其它激素相互作用影响玉米器官发育等的研究进展进行综述,以了解ABA调控玉米根系、叶片和籽粒的耐旱机理.     

Water Use Efficiency of Field-grown Maize during Moisture Stress

Theoretical analysis of the CO₂ assimilation and water loss by single leaves suggests that the water use efficiency of C₄ species decreases as stomatal resistance increases. To confirm this hypothesis for a complete maize crop, results from computer simulations and a field experiment were compiled for varying stomatal resistances. A soil-plant-atmosphere model allowed simulations of the many simultaneous interactions between a crop canopy and its environment. The simulations for varying stomatal resistances clearly indicated that as stomatal resistance increased, water use efficiency of the maize crop decreased. The field experiment data also confirmed that water use efficiency was significantly decreased under water stress conditions when stomatal resistance increased. We concluded that management practices for maize, which induce moisture stress conditions resulting in increased stomatal resistance, reduce both crop photosynthetic productivity and water use efficiency.     

Effect of Drought and Weed Management on Maize Genotypes and the Tensiometric Soil Water Content of an Eutric Nitisol in South Western Nigeria

In the dry savannas of West and Central Africa, where low soil fertility, unpredictable rainfall, weed competition and recurrent drought are major constraints to maize production, the development of tropical maize genotypes with high and stable yields under drought and low-nitrogen condition is very important since access to these improved genotypes may be the only affordable alternative to many small scale farmers. Field trials were conducted in 2002 and 2003 at Ikenne southwestern Nigeria to investigate the effect of weed pressures and drought stress on 2 maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids (9134-14, 9803-9) and 2 open-pollinated varieties (STREVIWD, IYFDCO1). Irrigation was withdrawn 4 weeks after planting (about four weeks to mid-flowering) in the drought stress while the adjacent watered treatment had irrigation throughout the growing period. The weed pressures were the completely weeded plots (hand weeding every week) and weedy plots (weeded once, 2 weeks after planting). The experiment was a split plot in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Drought stress reduced the stover weight and grain yield of the maize cultivars by 6% and 34% respectively. Weed-free plots had maize with higher agronomic traits than unweeded treatments. Hybrid 9803-9 was more susceptible to drought and weed stress as indicated in the stover weight and grain yield. STREVIWD an open-pollinated variety (OPV) and Hybrid 9134-14 had superior performances in terms of grain yield and shorter anthesis silking interval. Soil moisture content was higher in the unweeded plots while the uptake of moisture was highest in drought susceptible hybrid 9803-9. Irrespective of the genotypes, maize (hybrid and OPV) was more tolerant to drought in a weed-free environment than in unweeded conditions. There existed a negative but significant correlation between weed biomass and chlorophyll content (−0.29, P < 0.01), grain yield (−0.45, P < 0.05), ear plant⁻¹ (−0.27, P < 0.05) and kernel-number (−0.366 P < 0.01).     

Response of Photosynthesis in Maize to Drought and Re-Watering

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - The mechanism by which photosynthetic adaptation occurs in maize (Zea mays L.) during both drought and the subsequent recovery after re-watering is currently...     

Effects of Drought Stress on the Photosynthesis in Maize

To clarify how the components of the entire photosynthetic electron transport chain in response to drought stress in maize. The activities of photosystem II (PSII), photosystem I (PSI), and the electron transport chain between PSII and PSI of maize were investigated by prompt fluorescence (PF), delayed fluorescence (DF) and 820 nm modulated reflection (MR). Maize (Zea mays L.) plants were subjected to different levels of soil water availability including control, moderate and severe drought stress. A significant decrease in ?E₀, Ψ₀ and PI_ABS was found in maize treated with moderate drought stress. A significant increase in ABS/RC was observed, but there were no significant change in the fast MR phase and the amplitude of DF under moderate drought stress compared to the control. Under severe drought stress, the exchange capacity between Q_A to Q_B, reoxidation capacity of plastoquinol, and the oxidation and re-reduction rates of PC and P₇₀₀ all decreased. These results demonstrated that moderate drought stress reduced the photochemical activity of PSII from Q_A to PQH₂, while the photochemical activity of PSI was unscathed. However, severe drought stress inhibited the entire electron transport chain from the donor side of PSII to PSI-end electron acceptors. In addition, the photochemical activity of PSII is more sensitive to drought stress than PSI.     

Transcriptomic Profiling Revealed Genes Involved in Response to Drought Stress in Alfalfa

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation - Drought stress is a primary abiotic stress that causes the crop losses worldwide. Under drought conditions, root growth is determined by the action of...     

Large Root Cortical Cell Size Improves Drought Tolerance in Maize

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that large cortical cell size (CCS) would improve drought tolerance by reducing root metabolic costs. Maize (Zea mays) lines contrasting in root CCS measured as cross-sectional area were grown under well-watered and water-stressed conditions in greenhouse mesocosms and in the field in the United States and Malawi. CCS varied among genotypes, ranging from 101 to 533 µm². In mesocosms, large CCS reduced respiration per unit of root length by 59%. Under water stress in mesocosms, lines with large CCS had between 21% and 27% deeper rooting (depth above which 95% of total root length is located in the soil profile), 50% greater stomatal conductance, 59% greater leaf CO₂ assimilation, and between 34% and 44% greater shoot biomass than lines with small CCS. Under water stress in the field, lines with large CCS had between 32% and 41% deeper rooting (depth above which 95% of total root length is located in the soil profile), 32% lighter stem water isotopic ratio of ¹⁸O to ¹⁶O signature, signifying deeper water capture, between 22% and 30% greater leaf relative water content, between 51% and 100% greater shoot biomass at flowering, and between 99% and 145% greater yield than lines with small cells. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that large CCS improves drought tolerance by reducing the metabolic cost of soil exploration, enabling deeper soil exploration, greater water acquisition, and improved growth and yield under water stress. These results, coupled with the substantial genetic variation for CCS in diverse maize germplasm, suggest that CCS merits attention as a potential breeding target to improve the drought tolerance of maize and possibly other cereal crops.Suboptimal water availability is a primary constraint for terrestrial plants and a primary limitation to crop production. In developing countries, the problem of yield loss due to drought is most severe (Edmeades, 2008, 2013), and the problem will be further exacerbated in the future due to climate change (Burke et al., 2009; Schlenker and Lobell, 2010; Lobell et al., 2011a; IPCC, 2014; St. Clair and Lynch, 2010). The development of drought-tolerant crops is therefore an important goal for global agriculture. Breeding for drought adaptation using yield as a selection criterion is generally not efficient, since yield is an integration of complex mechanisms at different levels of organization affected by many elements of the phenotype and the environment interacting in complex and often unknown ways. Trait-based selection or ideotype breeding is generally a more efficient selection strategy, permitting the identification of useful sources of variation among lines that have poor agronomic adaptation, elucidation of genotype-environment interactions, and informed trait stacking (Lynch, 2007; Araus et al., 2008; Richards et al., 2010; Wasson et al., 2012; York et al., 2013; Lynch, 2014).Under drought stress, plants allocate more resources to root growth relative to shoot growth, which can enhance water acquisition (Sharp and Davies, 1979; Palta and Gregory, 1997; Lynch and Ho, 2005). The metabolic costs of soil exploration by root systems are significant and can exceed 50% of daily photosynthesis (Lambers et al., 2002). With a large root system, each unit of leaf area has more nonphotosynthetic tissue to sustain, which may reduce productivity by diverting resources from shoot and reproductive growth (Smucker, 1993; Nielsen et al., 2001; Boyer and Westgate, 2004). Genotypes with less costly root tissue could develop the extensive, deep root systems required to fully utilize soil water resources in drying soil without as much yield penalty. Therefore, root phenes that reduce the metabolic costs of soil exploration, thereby improving water acquisition, are likely to be valuable for improving drought tolerance (Lynch and Ho, 2005; Zhu et al., 2010; Lynch, 2011; Richardson et al., 2011; Jaramillo et al., 2013; Lynch 2014).Maize (Zea mays) is the principal global cereal. Maize production is facing major challenges as a result of the increasing frequency and intensity of drought (Tuberosa and Salvi, 2006), and this problem will likely be exacerbated by climate change (Lobell et al., 2011b). The Steep, Cheap, and Deep ideotype has been proposed for improving water and nitrogen acquisition by maize when these resources are limited (Lynch, 2013). This ideotype consists of root architectural, anatomical, and physiological traits that may increase rooting depth and thereby improve water acquisition from drying soils. Anatomical phenes could influence the metabolic cost of soil exploration by changing the proportion of respiring and nonrespiring root tissue and affecting the metabolic cost of tissue construction and maintenance, which is an important limitation to root growth and plant development under edaphic stress. Specific anatomical phenes that may contribute to rooting depth by reducing root metabolic costs include components of living cortical area (LCA; Jaramillo et al., 2013), including root cortical aerenchyma (RCA), cortical cell size (CCS), and cortical cell file number (Lynch, 2013).RCA consists of large air-filled lacunae that replace living cortical cells as a result of programmed cell death (Evans, 2004). Previous studies have demonstrated that RCA improves crop adaptation to edaphic stress by reducing the metabolic cost of soil exploration and exploitation (Fan et al., 2003; Zhu et al., 2010; Postma and Lynch, 2011a, Saengwilai et al., 2014a). RCA is associated with a disproportionate reduction of root respiration, thereby permitting greater root growth and acquisition of soil resources (Fan et al., 2003; Zhu et al., 2010). SimRoot modeling indicated that RCA can substantially increase the acquisition of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in maize by reducing respiration and the nutrient content of root tissue (Postma and Lynch, 2011b). Under water stress in the field, maize genotypes with more RCA had deeper roots, better leaf water status, and 800% greater yield than genotypes with less RCA (Zhu et al., 2010). Under nitrogen stress in the field and in greenhouse mesocosms, maize genotypes with more RCA had greater rooting depth, greater nitrogen capture from deep soil strata, greater nitrogen content, greater leaf photosynthesis, greater biomass, and greater yield (Saengwilai et al., 2014a).LCA refers to the living portion of the cortex that remains after the formation of aerenchyma (Jaramillo et al., 2013). Recently, we reported that LCA is an important determinant of root metabolic cost and a better predictor of root respiration than RCA (Jaramillo et al., 2013). In that study, maize lines contrasting in LCA were grown under well-watered or water-stressed conditions in soil mesocosms, and LCA was associated with a reduction of specific root respiration. These results provided the impetus to investigate the relative contribution of each component of LCA to metabolic cost. Our focus here is on root CCS.Plant cell size varies substantially both among and within species (Sugimoto-Shirasu and Roberts, 2003). Cell size in a given species and tissue is under genetic control and results from the coordinated control of cell growth and cell division (Sablowski and Carnier Dornelas, 2014). The increased volume of individual cells is attributable to cytoplasmic growth and cell expansion (Marshall et al., 2012; Chevalier et al., 2014). Cytoplasmic growth is the net accumulation of macromolecules and cellular organelles, while cell expansion refers to increased cell volume caused by enlargement of the vacuole (Taiz, 1992; Sablowski and Carnier Dornelas, 2014). Lynch (2013) proposed that large CCS would decrease the metabolic costs of root growth and maintenance, both in terms of the carbon cost of root respiration and the nutrient content of living tissue, by increasing the ratio of vacuolar to cytoplasmic volume.The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that large CCS would reduce specific root respiration (i.e. respiration per unit of root length), which under water stress would result in greater root growth, greater acquisition of subsoil water, better plant water status, and improved plant growth and yield. Diverse sets of genotypes (including landraces and recombinant inbred lines [RILs]) contrasting for CCS were evaluated under water stress and well-watered conditions in soil mesocosms in controlled environments, in the field in the United States using automated rainout shelters, and in the field in Malawi. Our results demonstrate that substantial variation for CCS exists in maize and that this variation has substantial effects on the metabolic cost of soil exploration and thereby water acquisition under drought.     

Alfalfa Leaf Curl Virus: an Aphid-Transmitted Geminivirus

The family Geminiviridae comprises seven genera differentiated by genome organization, sequence similarity, and insect vector. Capulavirus, an eighth genus, has been proposed to accommodate two newly discovered highly divergent geminiviruses that presently have no known vector. Alfalfa leaf curl virus, identified here as a third capulavirus, is shown to be transmitted by Aphis craccivora. This is the first report of an aphid-transmitted geminivirus.     

Response of Alfalfa Genotypes to Saline Water Irrigation

The influence of saline water (4, 8, 12 dS m^–1) irrigation on gas exchange and growth response of alfalfa genotypes Anand-2, T-9 and IL-112 was studied. T-9 and IL-112 showed a significant increase in net photosynthetic rate (P_N) at low salinity (4 dS m^–1) compared to the control whereas Anand-2 maintained an unaltered P_N. Reduction in P_N at higher salinities was primarily due to reduction of stomatal conductance. There was a greater reduction in transpiration rate as compared to P_N rate, which resulted in an increase in water use efficiency (WUE). High WUE may serve as one of the strategies of the plant to withstand saline environment. However, the slight increase in WUE in Anand-2 could not help in maintaining its growth. Increase in Na⁺ concentration in comparison to K⁺ concentration may also contribute to the inhibition in growth.     

Conjugal Transfer of Megaplasmid 2 between Rhizobium meliloti Strains in Alfalfa Nodules

A DNA fragment containing the RP4 mob function, as well as the gentamicin and spectinomycin resistance genes, was inserted by gene replacement onto the megaplasmid 2 (pM2) of Rhizobium meliloti 0540 (Inf⁻ EPS⁻), resulting in PG101 (Inf⁻ EPS⁻). The self-transfer of pM2 and the mobilization of pM2 by plasmid RP4-4 were investigated during conjugation between PG101 and R. meliloti 2526 (Nod⁻). In filter conjugations, pM2 was readily mobilized by RP4-4. In addition to this, the self-transfer of one megaplasmid (pM) was detected at a frequency of 3 × 10⁻⁷. Bacteria isolated from the nodules of alfalfa and coinoculated with strains PG101 and 2526 showed that pM2 was mobilized at a frequency of approximately 7 × 10⁻⁵. Bacterial cell numbers were too low in the nodules for detection of the self-transfer of pM2 to occur. No pM2 transfer was detected in the inoculum. A comparison of the transfer frequencies for the various conjugation conditions revealed that pM2 transfer occurred as frequently in the nodules as in filter conjugations. These results indicate that the nodule creates conditions for gene transfer that are comparable to optimal laboratory conditions.     

Proline Accumulation as a Symptom of Drought Stress in Maize: A Tissue Differentiation Requirement

Ibarra-Caballero, J., Villanueva-Verduzco, C., Molina-Galan,J. and Sanchez-de-Jimenez, E. 1988. Proline accumulation asa symptom of drought stress in maize: a tissue differentiationrequirement.—J. exp. Bot. 39: 889–897. Seedlings and callus tissue of maize (Zea mays L.) were testedfor proline accumulation under drought stress. A variety froma tropical humid region, a semi-desertic variety and its improvedpopulation selected for drought stress resistance, were usedfor this study. Proline accumulation was found in green leaves of maize seedlingsunder drought stress; no correlation was found between prolineaccumulation in leaves and the variety or population tested.White tissue, callus and leaves of etiolated seedlings did notshow this response to drought stress, nor did green callus ordetached leaves (green or etiolated), even when stress causeda loss of water from leaves similar to that observed when wholeseedlings were drought-stressed. Addition of abscisic acid togreen or white tissue did not result in proline accumulation.The above data indicate that proline accumulation caused bydrought stress does not seem to be an indication of droughtstress resistance, but rather a symptom of it. For this accumulationto take place it seems that fully organized chloroplasts arerequired as well as the systemic development of the plant. Key words: Proline, maize, drought-stress     

Somatic Mutations in Exocrine Pancreatic Tumors: Association with Patient Survival

KRAS mutations are major factors involved in initiation and maintenance of pancreatic tumors. The impact of different mutations on patient survival has not been clearly defined. We screened tumors from 171 pancreatic cancer patients for mutations in KRAS and CDKN2A genes. Mutations in KRAS were detected in 134 tumors, with 131 in codon 12 and only 3 in codon 61. The GGT>GAT (G12D) was the most frequent mutation and was present in 60% (80/134). Deletions and mutations in CDKN2A were detected in 43 tumors. Analysis showed that KRAS mutations were associated with reduced patient survival in both malignant exocrine and ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC). Patients with PDACs that had KRAS mutations showed a median survival of 17 months compared to 30 months for those without mutations (log-rank P = 0.07) with a multivariate hazard ratio (HR) of 2.19 (95%CI 1.09–4.42). The patients with G12D mutation showed a median survival of 16 months (log-rank-test P = 0.03) and an associated multivariate HR 2.42 (95%CI 1.14–2.67). Although, the association of survival in PDAC patients with CDKN2A aberrations in tumors was not statistically significant, the sub-group of patients with concomitant KRAS mutations and CDKN2A alterations in tumors were associated with a median survival of 13.5 months compared to 22 months without mutation (log-rank-test P = 0.02) and a corresponding HR of 3.07 (95%CI 1.33–7.10). Our results are indicative of an association between mutational status and survival in PDAC patients, which if confirmed in subsequent studies can have potential clinical application.