Role of water transport in origin of water stress

Intensity of transpiration, intensity of water absorption, water saturation deficit (w.s.d.) in different parts of samples and rate of water transport was investigated in samples from leaf tissue of fodder cabbage and banana-tree. In all experiments (at initial w.s.d. 0% and 20%, in samples from upper, middle and lower leaves of fodder cabbage and from leaves of banana-tree) a distinct gradient of w.s.d. in the direction of transport of water was determined, therefore the limiting factor in the water balance was rate of water transport and not rate of water absorption. The lowest amount of water was always transported within transpiring part of sample. When the initial w.s.d. was 0% not only the water transported by tissue from the environment, but also the water of the leaf tissue itself took part in water lost by transpiration and therefore water stress originated in the whole sample. At an initial w.s.d. of 20%, the rate of water absorption was higher than the rate of water transport and therefore the increase of w.s.d. in the transpiring part of the sample was accompanied by a simultaneous decrease of w.s.d. in the transporting part. An increase in the value of w.s.d. in leaf tissue proportionally increased the resistance of water transport in the liquid phase (on the average from 1·7 . 10³ to 6·7 . 10³ atm min cm² g^?1) and also in the gaseous phase (on the average from 2·7 . 10^?2 to 14·0 . 10^?2 min cm^?1). It was proved that insufficient rate of water transport can be responsible for the origin of water stress. At the same time the rate of water transport was influenced by the value of the w.s.d. since every change of w.s.d. in leaf tissue not only the gradient of water potential changed but also the resistance to water transport.     

Decomposition of young water hyacinth leaves in lake water

Rates of weight loss and release of nutrients during different phases of decomposition in young water hyacinth leaves were determined under laboratory conditions. The leaves decomposed solely by physical leaching during the initial 4-day phase and later by microbial processes. The largest part of weight loss and nutrient release by physical leaching took place within the first 4 h of incubation and thereafter the decomposition rate declined. Microbial processes decayed leaves at a significantly higher rate than that by physical leaching. The overall decay rate constants were related inversely and the release of nutrients directly to the levels of leaf additions in the lake water. The dissolved inorganic and organic nutrients were released chiefly by abiotic processes during the initial as well as later phases of decay. The release was significantly higher during the initial phase in comparison with that during the later phase. Microbes utilized only a small amount of nutrients that were released during decomposition of water hyacinth leaves. The % release of various elements from the decaying leaves was in the order of K > P > C > Na > N.     

Decomposition of water hyacinth detritus in eutrophic lake water

A study was conducted to determine the seasonal production of detritus by water hyacinths [Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Sohns] cultured in eutrophic Lake Apopka water, and the decomposition of detritus in situ and under laboratory conditions. Annual averages for C, N and P deposited through detritus production at the sediment-water interface were 2870, 176 and 19 kg ha^-1 yr^-1, respectively.Decomposition rates were faster in the root zone of hyacinth mats than at the sediment-water interface. Approximately 92% of the detritus C deposited at the sediment-water interface was decomposed in one year, while only 11% of the detrital organic N was mineralized. Detrital tissue gained P during decomposition, suggesting P limitation for the system. Dry-weight loss of detrital tissue was significantly correlated with the mass of C lost (r ² = 0.947^**), C/N ratio (r ² = 0.644^**) and C/P ratio (r ² = 0.428^**).Florida Agricultural Experiment Stations Journal Series No. R-00348.     

Sedimentation of Bacillus sphaericus in tap water and sewage water

Formulations of Bacillus sphaericus products were applied in 1-m columns of clean water and sewage water in tubes. Samples taken through valves attached to the walls of the tubes showed that spores settled as a function of application method, droplet size, particle size, and water characteristics. In a mixture of deionized and tap water, the slowest sedimentation rate was obtained with a primary powder sonicated in water with 0.1% detergent. This product and a commercial fluid product settled faster in sewage water than in clean water and after 4 weeks, most spores were found in the sediment. In clean water, most spores remained suspended during the 4 weeks but the density was highest at the bottom. Calculation of total spore numbers in the columns after 4 weeks indicated that about 90% of spores disappeared in clean water, and 95-97% disappeared in sewage water. Bioassays showed that toxicity declined in parallel with the sedimentation, but at a higher rate, indicating a loss of toxicity from the residual spores.     

北京市水足迹及农业用水结构变化特征

运用水足迹的理论和方法计算评价了1990—2005年北京市水足迹及水资源利用的可持续性,在此基础上进一步分析了北京市农业用水结构的变化特征。结果表明:(1)北京市水足迹从1990年的81.5亿m3上升至2005年的168.6亿m3,人均水足迹由750.1m3上升为1096.0m3;(2)北京市水资源匮乏度不断升高,1995年以来水资源自给率呈下降趋势,与之相对应的水资源依赖度越来越高;(3)农业部门用水量在本地用水量中的比例平均每年为55.1%,虚拟水净输入量在虚拟水净输入总量中的比例平均每年达到89.1%;(4)高耗水型作物产品生产用水比例升高加大了农业用水压力,动物产品生产用水量呈增加趋势,2001—2005年动物产品生产引入的虚拟水占到其虚拟水总量的81.3%。北京市水资源利用呈不可持续状态,通过农业系统内部结构的优化调整,实现农业部门水资源的高效利用是缓解北京市水资源紧缺问题的关键。     

Self quenching of chlorosome chlorophylls in water and hexanol-saturated water

The optical properties of a methyl ester homolog of bacteriochlorophylld (BChld _M ) and bacteriochlorophyllc (BChlc) in H₂O, hexanol-saturated H₂O and methanol were studied by absorption, fluorescence emission, and circular dichroism (CD). In H₂O, BChld _M spontaneously forms an aggregate similar to that formed in hexane, with absorption maximum at 730 nm and fluorescence emission at 748 nm. For the pigment sample in hexanol-saturated H₂O, while the absorption peaks at 661 nm, only slightly red-shifted compared to the monomer, the fluorescence emission is highly quenched. When diluted 2–3 fold with H₂O, the absorption returns to around 720 nm, characteristic of an aggregate. The CD spectrum of the H₂O aggregate exhibits a derivative-shaped feature with positive and negative peaks, while the amplitude is lower than that of chlorosomes. The Fourier transform infrared spectra of BChld _M aggregates in H₂O and hexane were measured. A 1644 cm^–1 band, indicative of a bonded 13¹-keto group, is detected for both samples. A marker band for 5-coordinated Mg was observed at 1611 cm^–1 for the two samples as well. To study the kinetic behavior of the samples, both single-photon counting (SPC) fluorescence and transient absorption difference spectroscopic measurements were performed. For BChld _M in hexanol-saturated H₂O, a fast decay component with a lifetime of 10 to 14 ps was detected using the two different techniques. The fast decay could be explained by the concentration quenching phenomenon due to a high local pigment concentration. For the pigment sample in H₂O, SPC gave a 16 ps component, whereas global analysis of transient absorption data generated two fast components: 3.5 and 26 ps. The difference may arise from the different excitation intensities. With a much higher excitation in the latter measurements, other quenching processes, e.g. annihilation, might be introduced, giving the 3.5 ps component. Finally, atomic force microscopy was used to examine the ultrastructure of BChld _M in H₂O and hexanol-saturated H₂O. Pigment clusters with diameters ranging from 15 to 45 nm were observed in both samples.     

Extended protein/water H-bond networks in photosynthetic water oxidation

Oxidation of water molecules in the photosystem II (PSII) protein complex proceeds at the manganese-calcium complex, which is buried deeply in the lumenal part of PSII. Understanding the PSII function requires knowledge of the intricate coupling between the water-oxidation chemistry and the dynamic proton management by the PSII protein matrix. Here we assess the structural basis for long-distance proton transfer in the interior of PSII and for proton management at its surface. Using the recent high-resolution crystal structure of PSII, we investigate prominent hydrogen-bonded networks of the lumenal side of PSII. This analysis leads to the identification of clusters of polar groups and hydrogen-bonded networks consisting of amino acid residues and water molecules. We suggest that long-distance proton transfer and conformational coupling is facilitated by hydrogen-bonded networks that often involve more than one protein subunit. Proton-storing Asp/Glu dyads, such as the D1-E65/D2-E312 dyad connected to a complex water-wire network, may be particularly important for coupling protonation states to the protein conformation. Clusters of carboxylic amino acids could participate in proton management at the lumenal surface of PSII. We propose that rather than having a classical hydrophobic protein interior, the lumenal side of PSII resembles a complex polyelectrolyte with evolutionary optimized hydrogen-bonding networks. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Photosynthesis Research for Sustainability: from Natural to Artificial.     

Radial distributions of water—water distances in protein crystals

An accurate protein crystallographic structure determination requires a knowledge of the solvent contribution to the diffraction pattern. As resolutions improve, research groups are reporting coordinates of large numbers of water molecules. We examine the accuracy of these coordinates by presenting radial distributions of water—water distances from refinements at different stages and interpreting them in terms of preferred hydrogen-bonding distances and problems in solvent electron density map interpretation. Marked differences between the distributions suggest that wide variations exist in the water molecule selection and refinement criteria employed by different research groups which mask possible real differences in solvent structure.     

Renal water and solute excretion in the Atlantic stingray in fresh water

Freshwater, male Atlantic stingrays Dasyatis sabina , from Lake Jesup, Florida, U·S·A·, excreted a dilute urine similar in composition to freshwater teleosts and lampreys with the exception that urea was the primary osmolyte. Urine flow rate was 2·5 to 10 fold higher than that reported for freshwater teleosts resulting in high free-water clearance. Mass-specific free-water clearance values from euryhaline elasmobranchs inhabiting freshwater environments greatly exceed those for freshwater teleosts and are nearly equivalent to those of freshwater lampreys.     

Occurrence of mycobacteria in water treatment lines and in water distribution systems

The frequency of recovery of atypical mycobacteria was estimated in two treatment plants providing drinking water to Paris, France, at some intermediate stages of treatment. The two plants use two different filtration processes, rapid and slow sand filtration. Our results suggest that slow sand filtration is more efficient for removing mycobacteria than rapid sand filtration. In addition, our results show that mycobacteria can colonize and grow on granular activated carbon and are able to enter distribution systems. We also investigated the frequency of recovery of mycobacteria in the water distribution system of Paris (outside buildings). The mycobacterial species isolated from the Paris drinking water distribution system are different from those isolated from the water leaving the treatment plants. Saprophytic mycobacteria (present in 41.3% of positive samples), potentially pathogenic mycobacteria (16.3%), and unidentifiable mycobacteria (54.8%) were isolated from 12 sites within the Paris water distribution system. Mycobacterium gordonae was preferentially recovered from treated surface water, whereas Mycobacterium nonchromogenicum was preferentially recovered from groundwater. No significant correlations were found among the presence of mycobacteria, the origin of water, and water temperature.     

Combined effect of virus infection and water stress on water flow and water economy in grapevines

Water limitation is one of the major threats affecting grapevine production. Thus, improving water‐use efficiency (WUE) is crucial for a sustainable viticulture industry in Mediterranean regions. Under field conditions, water stress (WS) is often combined with viral infections as those are present in major grape‐growing areas worldwide. Grapevine leafroll‐associated virus 3 (GLRaV‐3) is one of the most important viruses affecting grapevines. Indeed, the optimization of water use in a real context of virus infection is an important topic that needs to be understood. In this work, we have focused our attention on determining the interaction of biotic and abiotic stresses on WUE and hydraulic conductance (K_h) parameters in two white grapevine cultivars (Malvasia de Banyalbufar and Giró Ros). Under well‐watered (WW) conditions, virus infection provokes a strong reduction (P < 0.001) in K_petiole in both cultivars; however, K_leaf was only reduced in Malvasia de Banyalbufar. Moreover, the presence of virus also reduced whole‐plant hydraulic conductance (K_hplant) in 2013 and 2014 for Malvasia de Banyalbufar and in 2014 for Giró Ros. Thus, the effect of virus infection on water flow might explain the imposed stomatal limitation. Under WS conditions, the virus effect on K_plant was negligible, because of the bigger effect of WS than virus infection. Whole‐plant WUE (WUE_WP) was not affected by the presence of virus neither under WW nor under WS conditions, indicating that plants may adjust their physiology to counteract the virus infection by maintaining a tight stomatal control and by sustaining a balanced carbon change.     

Sporulation in distilled water

Spores are formed when vegetative cells of sporing aerobes are shaken with distilled water at 37°. These spores are derived from the small number of cells which survive lysis. The sporulation process involves increase and concentration of solid material in the cell, and is achieved at the expense of the products of lysis of 80 to 90 per cent of the resuspended cells.     

Nonsolvent water in liposomes

Summary In liposomes of dimyristoyl lecithin at 40°C, a quantity of water equal to about 11.5 moles water per mole lecithin, or about one-third of the enclosed liposome water or one-fifth of the total pellet water, behaves as if it is unavailable for dissolving sucrose. This phenomenon represents permanent exclusion of sucrose, not simply a space that equilibrates slowly due to the low permeability of sucrose. The amount of nonsolvent water increases with temperature, and is similar to the amount of water bound to the phosphorylcholine groups as estimated by other methods. Nonsolvent water arises from a combination of the forces responsible for salting-out of nonelectrolytes from aqueous solutions by ions, and of steric effects adjacent to a surface. Measured liposome: water partition coeffecients must be corrected for the effect of nonsolvent water.     

不同土壤水分条件下丹参耗水特征与水分利用率的研究

~~不同土壤水分条件下丹参耗水特征与水分利用率的研究@高扬$中国科学院、水利部水土保持研究所!陕西杨陵712100 @梁宗锁$中国科学院、水利部水土保持研究所!陕西杨陵712100;西北农林科技大学生命科学学院,陕西杨陵712100 @刘燕$陕西省药品监督管理局!西安710061~~~~[1] LIN J (林佳),XU L ZH(徐丽珍),LI Y(李琰), YANG SH L(杨世林). Comparison of tanshinone Ⅱ A content in the radix of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. from different producing area[J]. China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica(中国中药杂志), 2002.…