Uptake of water and solutes through twigs of Picea abies (L.) Karst

Summary Uptake of water and magnesium chloride solution was investigated through the outer surface of twigs of Picea abies (L.) Karst. Water uptake was determined by using pressure/volume (P/V) curves of the twigs as a basis for calculation to avoid problems of superficial extraneous water. When water was sprayed on bark and needles of 3- to 7-year-old twigs at a xylem water potential of -1.00 MPa, they absorbed as much as 80 mm³ water in 200 min/g twig dry weight as the twig water potential recovered to -0.15 MPa. With fluorescent dyes, pathways for absorption of water and solutes through the twig bark were found, particularly through the radially orientated ray tissue. In addition to uptake by mass flow, magnesium could also diffuse along a concentration gradient from the twig surface into the xylem. In the field, the magnitude of these uptake processes would depend on the concentration of elements deposited by atmospheric precipitation, the concentration gradient between the plant surface and the xylem sap, the xylem water potential and the intensity and duration of each precipitation event.     

Dipeptides and Amino Acids as Nitrogen Sources for the Callus of Atropa belladonna

Morphactin ester applied as a bark band to stems of Monterey pine seedlings (Pinus radiata D. Don) at first stimulated and then inhibited the rate of stem elongation over a 20-day period. The inhibition was caused by a direct action of morphactin on the shoot rather than by indirect action on the root system. ¹⁴C labelled morphactin applied to the bark accumulated in the shoot apices and the amount accumulated could be related to the inhibition of growth. More than 70% of labelled material isolated from roots and shoot apices was in the form of a metabolite similar to the carboxylic acid derivative of the morphactin ester. A preparation of ¹⁴C labelled acid derivative applied to the bark was translocated to the shoot apex and to the roots and inhibited stem elongation.     

Morphactin transport and metabolism in tree bark tissues: comparative studies in vitro

Bark banding of morphaction is an effective means of controling stem elongation in Pinus radiata D. Don (Monterey pine) but not Juglans regia L. (English walnut). Diffusion coefficients of ¹⁴C-labeled morphactin across excised disks of tree bark, measured in specially designed diffusion chambers, were 11 to 85 fold greater in pine than walnut. In seedlings of comparable age, the suberin layer of walnut bark is much thicker than that of pine; if the layer is removed, diffusion of ¹⁴C-morphactin is enhanced 39-fold in pine and 285-fold in walnut. Morphactin applied to the bark as an ester is rapidly hydrolyzed to its carboxylic acid derivative in both pine and walnut. This conversion occurs rapidly in the bark of both species and does not appear to limit the rate of morphactin movement across the bark. These results suggest that diffusion across the suberin layer and not metabolism limits morphactin transport across the bark.     

Change in Electrophoretic Pattern of Ribonuclease during Dormancy and Growth of Bird-cherry Buds

A morphactin formulation containing methyl-2-chloro-9-hydroxyfluorene-9-carboxylate as the major component caused abnormal stem growth in Pinus radiata D. Don seedlings when applied as a bark band. The banded region swelled due to increased cell division in the periderm and cambium. The abnormal stem development in treated trees did not cause a localized girdling effect. The morphactin treatment inhibited shoot elongation and root growth. Treated trees exposed to ¹⁴CO₂ translocated significantly less assimilate to the roots than did control trees although fixation of ¹⁴CO₂ by the shoots was not reduced. Label from a bark band of ¹⁴C-morphactin was rapidly translocated to the roots indicating that direct inhibition of root growth by the inhibitor probably occurred.     

Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils from Different Morphological Parts of Pinus cembra L.

The essential oils from needles, twigs, bark, wood, and cones of Pinus cembra were analyzed by GC‐FID, GC/MS, and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy. More than 130 compounds were identified. The oils differed in the quantitative composition. The principal components of the oil from twigs with needles were α‐pinene (36.3%), limonene (22.7%) and β‐phellandrene (12.0%). The needle oil was dominated by α‐pinene (48.4%), whereas in the oil from bark and in the oil from twigs without needles there were limonene (36.2% and 33.6%, resp.) and β‐phellandrene (18.8% and 17.1%, resp.). The main constituents of the wood oil as well as cone oil were α‐pinene (35.2% and 39.0%, resp.) and β‐pinene (10.4% and 18.9%, resp.). The wood oil and the cone oil contained large amounts of oxygenated diterpenes in comparison with needle, twig, and bark oils.     

Studies on the movement of indole auxins in willow (Salix viminalis L.)

Summary Auxin activity was detected in honeydew obtained from the aphid Tuberolachnus salignus (Gmelin) feeding on willow (Salix viminalis). Active uptake of ¹⁴C-indolyl-3-acetic acid (IAA) into the sieve tubes was demonstrated by irrigating the cambial surface of willow bark with ¹⁴C-IAA solution and assaying aphid stylet exudate. When, however, ¹⁴C-IAA was applied to the peridermal tissues of the bark or to a mature leaf most of the radioactivity (collected in honeydew or stylet exudate) co-chromatographed with indolyl-3-acetyl-aspartic acid (IAAsp). The presence of IAAsp in honeydew was not affected by extraction procedure or by aphid metabolism. Honeydew obtained from willow treated with ¹⁴C-tryptophan contained only ¹⁴C-tryptophan. When ¹⁴C-IAA was applied in agar to the cut end of willow segments the radioactivity was found to move in a basipetally polar manner. The direction of movement of radioactivity in the sieve tubes, however, was found to be influenced by the proximity of the roots. Nevertheless, there was evidence that endogenous auxin in the sieve tubes does move in a predominantly basipetal direction.     

The Effect of NAA (1-Naphthaleneacetic Acid) and Morphactin (Methyl 2-Chloro-9-hydroxyfluorene-9-carboxylate) on RNA and Protein Synthesis in Senescing Bean Endocarp

The effect of NAA (1-naphthaleneacetic acid) and morphactin (methyl 2-chloro-9-hydroxyfluorene-9-carboxylate) on the uptake and incorporation of uridine-5-³H and l -leucineU-¹⁴C was studied in senescing bean endocarp (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Kentucky wonder pole beans) sections. Both growth regulators inhibited uptake of these precursors and appeared to affect different components of the uptake mechanism. A possible synergistic inhibition was seen in case of leucine, but in case of uridine, the effect was less than additive. A strong synergistic increase in the incorporation of l -leucine into protein was seen. Thus, morphactin interacted with an exogenously applied auxin at the level of the protein synthesizing apparatus.     

Systemic Migration and Establishment of Xanthomonas campestris pv. pruni in Plum Leaves and Twigs

The systemic migration of Xanthomonas campestris pv. pruni (Xcp) through vascular bundles of leaves and twigs of plum was investigated. A rifampicin-resistant strain of Xcp was inoculated into leaves located midway from the tip of new green twigs of Golden King plum trees in a glasshouse. High numbers of the pathogen were recovered 4 and 8 weeks after inoculation from sections of uninoculated and symptomless veins, petioles, and twig tissue. Symptoms of bacterial spot developedwithin 8 weeks on main and secondary veins of uninoculated leaves located as far as 13 cm from the inoculated leaf on the same twig. Weekly isolation indicated the constant presence of Xcp in apparently unaffected shields of twig tissue obtained from a naturally infected Golden King orchard. Xcp apparently enters plum twigs through veins of infected leaves and migrates systemically through twigs to leaves.     

THE DISTRIBUTION OF PHOTOSYNTHATE IN ASCOPHYLLUM NODOSUM AS IT RELATES TO EPIPHYTIC POLYSIPHONIA LANOSA12

The brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum is not a major source of organic carbon for its epiphytic red alga Polysiphonia lanosa. Plants pulse-labeled for 24–25 hr with NaH¹⁴CO₃ were examined for exudation and translocation. The maximum amount of radioactive carbon compounds lost from A. nodosum during this experimental period was less than 0.3% of the total ¹⁴C fixed by the alga, and of this amount, only 5% could, have moved through the frond. The remaining fraction of the ¹⁴C lost from the thallus was released into the water. The total exudate from A. nodosum was collected for 1 week in a series of flasks of filtered seawater changed at 12-hr intervals corresponding with the beginning of the light and dark periods, respectively. During 7 days at 15 C only 1.5% of the total ¹⁴C originally fixed had been released as radioactive organic carbon, whereas at 5 C, 0.6% of the total ¹⁴C fixed was found in the medium. No significant difference in the rate of exudation of organic ¹⁴C was observed in light or darkness. After fractionation of the exudate it was found that only 10% of the radioactivity in these exudates was composed of organic acids or amino acids. P. lanosa, on the other hand, is perfectly capable of fixing its own carbon. The photosynthetic rates measured by H¹⁴CO₃ uptake confirm the observations of Bidwell: 3.96 mg CO₂/g/hr (0.09 m mole/g/hr).     

Biogeographic Patterns of Structural Traits and C:N:P Stoichiometry of Tree Twigs in China’s Forests

There have been a number of studies on biogeographic patterns of plant leaf functional traits; however, the variations in traits of other plant organs such as twigs are rarely investigated. In this study, we sampled current-year twigs of 335 tree species from 12 forest sites across a latitudinal span of 32 degrees in China, and measured twig specific density (TSD), twig dry matter content (TDMC), and carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) contents, to explore the latitudinal and environmental patterns of these twig traits. The overall mean of TSD and TDMC was 0.37 g cm⁻³ and 41%, respectively; mean twig C, N and P was 472 mg g⁻¹, 9.8 mg g⁻¹ and 1.15 mg g⁻¹, respectively, and mean N:P mass ratio was 10.6. TSD was positively correlated with TDMC which was positively associated with twig C but negatively with twig N and P. There were no significant differences in TSD between conifer, deciduous-broadleaf and evergreen-broadleaf plants, but evergreen-broadleaf plants had the lowest and conifers the highest TDMC. Conifer twigs were lowest in C, N, P and N:P, whereas deciduous-plant twigs were highest in N and P and evergreen-plant twigs were highest in C and N:P. As latitude increased or temperature/precipitation dropped, TDMC and P increased, but N:P ratio decreased. Our results also showed that the patterns of twig P and N:P stoichiometry were consistent with those reported for leaves, but no significant trends in twig N were observed along the gradient of latitude, climate and soils. This study provides the first large-scale patterns of the twig traits and will improve our understanding of the biogeochemistry of carbon and other key nutrients in forest ecosystems.     

Conductance of needle and twig axis phloem of damaged and intact Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) as investigated by application of14C in situ

Summary Phloem conductance of¹⁴C-labelled assimilates was investigated in natural stands of Norway spruce showing substantial damage from needle yellowing and needle loss disease. Terminal current-year shoots of a branch were allowed to fix¹⁴CO₂ (300–600 ppm in air) and carbon dioxide net uptake was monitored with a gas analyser. The difference between¹⁴C-uptake and the amount of radiocarbon determined in the photosynthesizing needles was interpreted to reflect assimilate export from the needles to the axis of the tree. Compared with an undamaged control tree,¹⁴C-export from the assimilating needles was not impaired in the yellowing tree and only slightly reduced in the tree showing needle loss. Incorporation of¹⁴C into starch increased significantly during autumn particularly in the tree showing needle loss. Import of radiocarbon from the¹⁴C-labelled phloem sap in twig axes and needles older than 1 year was used as a measure of phloem conductivity of older sections of a branch which showed considerable damage. Carbon uptake by these older plant parts was more pronounced than in undamaged twigs. In the case of older needles enhancement of¹⁴C-incorporation suggested an increased sink strength, while the same phenomenon in the twig axes was interpreted as a consequence of partially impaired conductivity of individual sieve elements resulting in an inhomogeneous velocity of phloem transport. The hypothesis is put forward that curtailed viability of the sieve cells is responsible for a delay of transport, which is compensated for by an augmented production of phloem elements from the cambium.     

Age-dependent bark photosynthesis of aspen twigs

The photosynthetic performance of trembling aspen (Populus tremula L.) twigs and leaves was studied in relation to selected structural features of aspen bark. PFD transmittance of intact periderm was reduced by about 90% in current-year twigs through peridermal thickening. However, because of drastic changes within the bark microstructure, PFD transmittance increased in 1-year-old twig segments up to 26% of the incident PFD. On a unit surface area basis, the chlorophyll content of young twigs (425 mg Chl m^-2) almost reached that of leaves (460 mg Chl m^-2). The chlorophyll content of aspen bark chlorenchyma was clearly age-dependent, even increasing in current-year twigs with advancing internodal age. The low bark chlorophyll a/b ratios (about 2.6 compared with 3.9 in leaves) indicate that bark chloroplasts are shade-adapted. Positive net photosynthesis was not found in aspen twigs, but apparent respiration was distinctly reduced in the light due to light-driven carbon refixation (bark photosynthesis) within the chlorenchymal tissues. Under constant microclimatic conditions, dark respiration rates were strongly correlated with stem-internal CO₂ refixation. In accordance with increasing dark respiration rates, the efficiency of this carbon recycling was generally greater in the metabolically more active, younger twig segments than in older segments; carbon refixation rates reached up to 80% of dark respiration values. At least in young twigs and branches and thus in the light-exposed outer parts of tree crowns, respiratory CO₂ losses by the tree skeleton could efficiently be reduced. Refixation of carbon dioxide may be of great importance for carbon budgets in the environmentally controlled or pathogen-induced leafless states of deciduous aspen trees.     

Phloem transport of 14C-labelled assimilates in Ricinus

Summary Exudate can be obtained from incisions made in the bark of the stem of actively growing Ricinus plants. ¹⁴C-labelled assimilates from a fed leaf are rapidly detected in the exudate. This movement was both acropetal and basipetal from the fed leaf, at rates of over 100 cm h^-1. Estimated rates within intact plants were 80–84 cm h^-1.In contrast with xylem sap obtained from the same plant, the exudate obtained had an alkaline pH (8.2), a high dry matter content (10–12.5%), high sugar content (8–10%) which was predominantly sucrose; high potassium content (60–80 mM) and low calcium content (0.5–1.0 mM).It is concluded, on the basis of the present evidence, that the exudate is a true sample of the sieve tube sap undergoing translocation.     

Host specificity of a Brazilian mistletoe, Struthanthus aff. polyanthus (Loranthaceae), in cerrado tropical savanna

The aim of this study was to determine if the mistletoe Struthanthus aff. polyanthus shows host specificity, and if host abundance and twig architecture influence this specificity in Cerrado (senso strictu). An area of 1.3 ha of natural savanna was sampled for the occurrence of the mistletoe. The twigs of the hosts were classified as vertical or horizontal, and the bark as smooth or rough. We sampled a total of 666 trees in the study site and 118 individuals (17.7%) hosted S. aff. polyanthus. The abundance of mistletoe was significantly affected by the bark type, but not by the twigs inclination. In the cerrado, S. aff. polyanthus seems to be a generalist, with a tendency to be more common on some hosts (Kielmeyera coriacea, Pouteria ramiflora and Styrax ferrugineus), prefering that with rough bark type.     

TRANSLOCATION IN MACROCYSTIS. III. COMPOSITION OF SIEVE TUBE EXUDATE AND IDENTIFICATION OF THE MAJOR C14-LABELED PRODUCTS1

The major C¹⁴-labeled substance in sieve tube exudate of M. pyrifera is D-mannitol, comprising 3.6% (w/v). No sugars are detectable. Certain amino acids also possess some C¹⁴-labeling and occur in significantly high concentrations in exudate. The exudate contains negligible ether-soluble lipid, but has a large amount of protein and a high concentration of K⁺ Neither protein nor lipid become labeled significantly in sieve tubes during short-term translocation experiments with C¹⁴. In general the chemical composition of the assimilate stream is comparable to that of vascular plants and does not, consequently, necessitate a different mechanism for translocation.     

Movement of Water and Solutes in Sieve Tubes of Willow in Response to Puncture by Aphid Stylets. Evidence against a mass flow of solution

Experiments are described in which bark strips of willow were sealed to polythene tubes having two compartments. This allowed investigations to be made of the transport along the sieve tubes of tritiated water, ¹⁴C-labelled sugars, and ³²P-phosphates from one compartment, towards a stylet situated in the bark over the other compartment. Although activity from both ¹⁴C and ³²p was detected in the stylet exudate usually within 1 hour from isotope application, tritium activity was never detected even after a period of 8 hours in most experiments, though in certain cases, very low activities were detected after 4 hours. Subsequent experiments in which stylets were sited over both compartments showed that tritium activity moved laterally into the punctured sieve element more rapidly than either ¹⁴C or ³²P. Experiments using both live and dead bark in which stylets were not employed, showed that within 4 hours tritium activity had moved by diffusion along the whole length of a bark strip, therefore after this time tritium activity could have moved into the stylet exudate by a diffusional process. The lack of rapid longitudinal movement of tritiated water along the sieve tubes, indicates that the transport process is unlikely to be a mass flow of solution.     

Phenology and laboratory rearing procedures of an Asian longicorn beetle, Glenea cantor (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae)

Clenea cantor (F.) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) is an Asian longicorn beetle whose larvae bore under the bark of living trees of at least seven plant families and enter the wood for pupation. Here, we determined the phenology of this beetle on its natural host, kapok [Bombax ceiba L. = Cossampinus malabaricus (DC.) Merr], in an uncontrolled insectary at ambient environmental conditions, and we compared the efficiency of four larval rearing procedures at 25 +/- 2 degrees C, 75 +/- 5% RH, and a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h in the laboratory. It had five generations, including an overwintering generation, a year in southern China, with overlaps between generations and no diapause. Adults were present in early March-early December; eggs in early April-early December; larvae almost year-round, and pupae in mid-February-mid-April as well as mid-May-late November. All larvae of the overwintering generation and the larvae of the fourth generation that hatched in and after mid-November overwintered. The longevity of females and males was 71.94 +/- 1.21 d and 46.87 +/- 1.11 d, respectively, and mean fecundity was 106.65 +/- 3.61 eggs. Four larval rearing procedures using kapok twigs were tested: (1) 10 neonate larvae were left in the original host twig, (2) 10 neonate larvae were removed from the original bark and transferred to a new host twig, 3) 10 neonate larvae embedded in the original bark were transferred to a new host twig, and 4) a single neonate larva embedded in the original bark was transferred to a new host twig. We observed the survival of 300 neonate larvae for each rearing procedure. Approximately 81-85% of neonate larvae successfully developed to adult stage when neonate larvae were transferred together with the original bark to new host twigs; when neonate larvae were transferred without the original bark, only approximately 38% of the inoculants became adults, and when larvae were left in original twigs, approximately 52% of them reached adult stage. Resulting adults from different rearing methods and collected from the field had similar body weight and sex ratio. In terms of time, labor, and the number of resulting adults, procedure 3 is the most effective method for maintaining a laboratory colony.     

Influence of Gamma Radiation on the Transport of Indolyl-3-Acetic Acid in Bark Tissue from Apple Trees

The influence of gamma radiation on the polarity of IAA translocation was investigated. Pieces of apple tree shoots, taken from 3-year-old trees, were irradiated in a dark irradiation chamber BK-⁶⁰Co source, 10 kCi. Doses from 20 to 150 krad were given. Strips of bark were peeled off both irradiated and control shoots. The middle parts of the bark strips were placed on agar blocks loaded with IAA-1-¹⁴C. The radioactivity of basal and acropetal segments was determined after about 20 h and results expressed as polarity quotient. It has been shown that irradiation with 20 krad (200 Gy) decreases the polarity quotient remarkably (polarity quotient of control equals 7; for 20 krad—2.9; 100 krad—1.6). The decrease in polarity results from inhibition of the basipetal translocation of IAA. Irradiated tissue shows a decrease in IAA uptake. Possible mechanisms of gamma irradiation effects on polar translocation of IAA are discussed.     

Characterization of phloem exudation from castor-bean cotyledons

Exudate was collected fromRicinus communis L. cotyledons after cutting the hypocotyl. It contained high levels of sucrose and potassium, a low level of calcium, and a pH of approx. 7.5. After application of [¹⁴C] sucrose to the cotyledons, radioactivity could be recovered from the exudate, indicating that the exudate was derived from the phloem. Using data from a number of individual seedlings, correlations between loading rates of sucrose, translocation rates, and sucrose and potassium contents were analyzed. A positive correlation was found between the rate of sucrose loading and the rate of sucrose exudation, whereas a negative correlation existed between the contents of sucrose and potassium in the phloem.     

Spontaneous Phloem bleeding from cryopunctured fruits of a ureide-producing legume

The vasculature of the dorsal suture of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp) fruits bled a sugar-rich exudate when punctured with a fine needle previously cooled in liquid N₂. Bleeding continued for many days at rates equivalent to 10% of the estimated current sugar intake of the fruit. A phloem origin for the exudate was suggested from its high levels (0.4-0.8 millimoles per milliliter) of sugar (98% of this as sucrose) and its high K⁺ content and high ratio of Mg²⁺ to Ca²⁺. Fruit cryopuncture sap became labeled with ¹⁴C following feeding of [¹⁴C]urea to leaves or adjacent walls of the fruit, of ¹⁴CO₂ to the pod gas space, and of [¹⁴C] asparagine or [¹⁴C]allantoin to leaflets or cut shoots through the xylem. Rates of translocation of ¹⁴C-assimilates from a fed leaf to the puncture site on a subtended fruit were 21 to 38 centimeters per hour. Analysis of ¹⁴C distribution in phloem sap suggested that [¹⁴C]allantoin was metabolized to a greater extent in its passage to the fruit than was [¹⁴C] asparagine. Amino acid:ureide:nitrate ratios (nitrogen weight basis) of NO₃-fed, non-nodulated plants were 20:2:78 in root bleeding xylem sap versus 90:10:0.1 for fruit phloem sap, suggesting that the shoot utilized NO₃-nitrogen to synthesize amino acids prior to phloem transfer of nitrogen to the fruit. Feeding of ¹⁵NO₃ to roots substantiated this conclusion. The amino acid:ureide ratio (nitrogen weight basis) of root xylem sap of symbiotic plants was 23:77 versus 89:11 for corresponding fruit phloem sap indicating intense metabolic transfer of ureide-nitrogen to amino acids by vegetative parts of the plant.