Effects of prolonged drought on the anatomy of sun and shade needles in young Norway spruce trees

Predicted increases in the frequency and duration of drought are expected to negatively affect tree vitality, but we know little about how water shortage will influence needle anatomy and thereby the trees’ photosynthetic and hydraulic capacity. In this study, we evaluated anatomical changes in sun and shade needles of 20‐year‐old Norway spruce trees exposed to artificial drought stress. Canopy position was found to be important for needle structure, as sun needles had significantly higher values than shade needles for all anatomical traits (i.e., cross‐sectional needle area, number of tracheids in needle, needle hydraulic conductivity, and tracheid lumen area), except proportion of xylem area per cross‐sectional needle area. In sun needles, drought reduced all trait values by 10–40%, whereas in shade needles, only tracheid maximum diameter was reduced by drought. Due to the relatively weaker response of shade needles than sun needles in drought‐stressed trees, the difference between the two needle types was reduced by 25% in the drought‐stressed trees compared to the control trees. The observed changes in needle anatomy provide new understanding of how Norway spruce adapts to drought stress and may improve predictions of how forests will respond to global climate change.     

Common trade‐offs between xylem resistance to cavitation and other physiological traits do not hold among unrelated Populus deltoides ×Populus nigra hybrids

We examined the relationships between xylem resistance to cavitation and 16 structural and functional traits across eight unrelated Populus deltoides×Populus nigra genotypes grown under two contrasting water regimes. The xylem water potential inducing 50% loss of hydraulic conductance (Ψ₅₀) varied from ?1.60 to ?2.40 MPa. Drought‐acclimated trees displayed a safer xylem, although the extent of the response was largely genotype dependant, with Ψ₅₀ being decreased by as far as 0.60 MPa. At the tissue level, there was no clear relationship between xylem safety and either xylem water transport efficiency or xylem biomechanics; the only structural trait to be strongly associated with Ψ₅₀ was the double vessel wall thickness, genotypes exhibiting a thicker double wall being more resistant. At the leaf level, increased cavitation resistance was associated with decreased stomatal conductance, while no relationship could be identified with traits associated with carbon uptake or bulk leaf carbon isotope discrimination, a surrogate of intrinsic water‐use efficiency. At the whole‐plant level, increased safety was associated with higher shoot growth potential under well‐irrigated regime only. We conclude that common trade‐offs between xylem resistance to cavitation and other physiological traits that are observed across species may not necessarily hold true at narrower scales.     

Studying global change through investigation of the plastic responses of xylem anatomy in tree rings

Variability in xylem anatomy is of interest to plant scientists because of the role water transport plays in plant performance and survival. Insights into plant adjustments to changing environmental conditions have mainly been obtained through structural and functional comparative studies between taxa or within taxa on contrasting sites or along environmental gradients. Yet, a gap exists regarding the study of hydraulic adjustments in response to environmental changes over the lifetimes of plants. In trees, dated tree-ring series are often exploited to reconstruct dynamics in ecological conditions, and recent work in which wood-anatomical variables have been used in dendrochronology has produced promising results. Environmental signals identified in water-conducting cells carry novel information reflecting changes in regional conditions and are mostly related to short, sub-annual intervals. Although the idea of investigating environmental signals through wood anatomical time series goes back to the 1960s, it is only recently that low-cost computerized image-analysis systems have enabled increased scientific output in this field. We believe that the study of tree-ring anatomy is emerging as a promising approach in tree biology and climate change research, particularly if complemented by physiological and ecological studies. This contribution presents the rationale, the potential, and the methodological challenges of this innovative approach.     

Cutting xylem under tension or supersaturated with gas can generate PLC and the appearance of rapid recovery from embolism

We investigated the common assumption that severing stems and petioles under water preserves the hydraulic continuity in the xylem conduits opened by the cut when the xylem is under tension. In red maple and white ash, higher percent loss of conductivity (PLC) in the afternoon occurred when the measurement segment was excised under water at native xylem tensions, but not when xylem tensions were relaxed prior to sample excision. Bench drying vulnerability curves in which measurement samples were excised at native versus relaxed tensions showed a dramatic effect of cutting under tension in red maple, a moderate effect in sugar maple, and no effect in paper birch. We also found that air injection of cut branches (red and sugar maple) at pressures of 0.1 and 1.0 MPa resulted in PLC greater than predicted from vulnerability curves for samples cut 2 min after depressurization, with PLC returning to expected levels for samples cut after 75 min. These results suggest that sampling methods can generate PLC patterns indicative of repair under tension by inducing a degree of embolism that is itself a function of xylem tensions or supersaturation of dissolved gases (air injection) at the moment of sample excision. Implications for assessing vulnerability to cavitation and levels of embolism under field conditions are discussed.     

30%己乙水剂对玉米根系伤流液及其组分的影响

以玉米3138为材料,在大田和PVC管栽条件下研究了应用植物生长调节剂30％己乙水剂对玉米根系伤流量、伤流中无机离子流量、氨基酸组分及流量、激素流量等的影响,结果表明：30％己乙水剂可提高玉米根系伤流量,特别是大喇叭口期和籽粒形成期;提高了伤流中K,P,Ca,Mg,Si,Zn,Mn,Fe,B,Mo,Cu等无机元素流量,氨基酸总流量提高,主要的运输形式氨基酸Ser,Clu,Lys．Arg,Val,Ala,Leu,I1e,His,Try,Phe流量均明显增加,非蛋白质氨基酸GAba大幅度增加,伤流液中IAA在籽粒形成和灌浆期提高,授粉后伤流中Gas提高,CTKs在籽粒形成期提高,ABA在灌浆期提高,吐丝前低于对照。表明30％已乙水剂可促进根系吸收和合成物质向地上部分的输送,对促进地上部发育有重要作用。     

CAM induction in Clusia minor L. during the transition from wet to dry season in Trinidad: the role of organic acid speciation and decarboxylation

The interrelationships between the induction of CAM and the turnover of malate and citrate in the dicotyledenous tree Clusia minor were compared with seasonal changes in rainfall, leaf water status, PFD and photoinhibitory responses during the transition from wet to dry season in Trinidad. Over a period of 8 weeks, as rainfall declined from a maximum observed around week 3, leaf xylem tensions measured at dusk and dawn reflected the concurrent reduction in day-time carbon gain and an increase in the diel turnover of malate (exposed leaves) and citrate (shaded leaves). Clear seasonal trends were observed in the turnover of malate and citrate during the transition from wet to dry season. In contrast to the declining back-ground concentrations of citrate during the wet-dry season transition, malate accumulation was markedly enhanced and the ratio of malalc:citrate accumulated overnight increased as the dry season advanced. Photo-inhibitory responses, assessed by chlorophyll fluorescence, indicated that photochemistry was largely determined by the diurnal course of PFD incident on leaves, regardless of the magnitude of internal CO₂ release from malate and citrate decarboxylation. In the long term, photochemical efficiency in both shaded and exposed leaves appeared to decline as the dry season progressed. Although there was a clear linear relationship between integrated PFD and overnight accumulation of malate, no such correlation was found for citrate. However, citrate breakdown during the day showed a much closer correlation with PFD as compared to malate, with levels of citrate measured at dusk declining in response to higher daily light intensities. Moreover, enhanced citrate decarboxylation during the day was strongly correlated with increased CAM and overnight accumulation of both malate and citrate.     

TTC染色鉴定葡萄抗寒性方法的优化与应用北大核心CSCD

以‘左山1号’、101-14、3309C、SO4、140R和‘黑比诺’等葡萄砧木和品种直径为0.5~0.7 cm的一年生枝条为材料,经低温梯度(0℃、-14℃、-19℃、-24℃、-29℃和-34℃)处理后,对TTC染色的温度和时间进行优化并观察统计葡萄枝条不同组织的存活情况,测定枝条的相对电导率,以及韧皮部和木质部的可溶性蛋白、游离脯氨酸、可溶性糖、淀粉含量和束缚水自由水比例(束自比)5个生理指标,分别用枝条纵切面染色面积、相对电导率拟合Logistic方程计算枝条的半致死温度(LT_(50))来评价枝条的抗寒性,同时通过隶属函数法综合评价枝条韧皮部和木质部抗寒性,并将3种方法的评价结果进行比较,以建立一种直观高效鉴定葡萄品种抗寒性的方法。结果表明:(1)依据低温胁迫下各品种葡萄砧木扦插枝条的萌芽率和生根率表现,其抗寒性由强到弱依次为‘左山1号’、101-14、3309C、SO4、140R和‘黑比诺’。(2)葡萄枝条TTC活力染色的最佳条件为pH=7.0,0.5%TTC-0.1 mol/L磷酸缓冲液在35℃下避光染色36 h。随着胁迫温度的降低,各品种枝条纵切面染色面积均逐渐降低,根据优化TTC法获得‘左山1号’、101-14、3309C、SO4、140R和‘黑比诺’枝条的LT_(50)分别为-31.38℃、-26.51℃、-26.10℃、-23.60℃、-23.33℃和-19.26℃。(3)随着胁迫温度的降低,各品种枝条的相对电导率逐渐增加,且‘黑比诺’的相对电导率基本保持最高、增幅最大(51.93%),而‘左山1号’的相对电导率始终最低、增幅最小(44.07%);根据相对电导率获得‘左山1号’、101-14、3309C、SO4、140R和‘黑比诺’枝条的LT_(50)分别为-30.02℃、-26.40℃、-25.75℃、-23.16℃、-21.13℃和-17.72℃。(4)通过5种生理指标进行枝条抗寒性隶属函数综合性评价结果显示,同一品种中韧皮部抗寒性强于木质部,同一部位不同品种的抗寒性表现为:‘左山1号’>101-14>3309C>SO4>140R>‘黑比诺’。研究发现,TTC染色法与电导法和综合隶属函数法获得的葡萄枝条抗寒力评价结果一致,也与枝条生长恢复鉴定结果一致;但与其他两种方法相比,TTC染色法能更加直观和有效地预测评估葡萄枝条的抗寒性。     

Nitrite reduction and carbohydrate metabolism in plastids purified from roots of Pisum sativum L.

Nitrate reduction in roots and shoots and exchange of reduced N between organs were quantitatively estimated in intact 13-d-old seedlings of two-row barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Daisengold) using the ¹⁵N-incorporation model (A. Gojon et al. (1986) Plant Physiol. 82, 254–260), except that NH ₊ ⁴ was replaced by NO _- ² . N-depleted seedlings were exposed to media containing both nitrate (1.8 mM) and nitrite (0.2 mM) under a light-dark cycle of 12:12 h at 20°C; the media contained different amounts of ¹⁵N labeling. Experiments were started either immediately after the beginning (expt. 1) or immediately prior to the end (expt. 2) of the light period, and plants were sampled subsequently at each light-dark transition throughout 36 h. The plants effectively utilized ¹⁵NO _- ³ and accumulated it as reduced ¹⁵N, predominantly in the shoots. Accumulation of reduced ¹⁵N in both experiments was nearly the same at the end of the experiment but the accumulation pattern in roots and shoots during each 12-h period differed greatly depending on time and the light conditions. In expt. 1, the roots accounted for 31% (light), 58% (dark), and 9% (light) of nitrate reduction by the whole plants, while in expt. 2 the contributions of the root were 82% (dark), 20% (light), and 29% (dark), during each of the three 12-h periods. Xylem transport of nitrate drastically decreased in the dark, but that of reduced N rather increased. The downward translocation of reduced ¹⁵N increased while nitrate reduction in the root decreased, whereas upward translocation decreased while nitrate reduction in the shoot increased. We conclude that the cycling of reduced N through the plant is important for N feeding of each organ, and that the transport system of reduced N by way of xylem and phloem, as well as nitrate reduction by root and shoot, can be modulated in response to the relative magnitude of reduced-N demands by the root and shoot, with the one or the other predominating under different circumstances.Symbols Anl accumulation of reduced ¹⁵N from ¹⁵NO _- ³ in ¹⁴NO _- ³ -fed roots of divided root system - Ar accumulation in root of reduced ¹⁵N from ¹⁵NO _- ³ - As accumulation in shoot of reduced ¹⁵N from ¹⁵NO _- ³ - Rr ¹⁵NO _- ³ reduction in root - Rs ¹⁵NO _- ³ reduction in shoot - Tp translocation to root of shoot-reduced ¹⁵N from ¹⁵NO _- ³ in phloem - Tx translocation to shoot of root-reduced ¹⁵N from ¹⁵NO _- ³ in xylem     

Xylem structure of four grape varieties and 12 alternative hosts to the xylem-limited bacterium Xylella fastidious

Background and Aims

The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa (Xf), responsible for Pierce''s disease (PD) of grapevine, colonizes the xylem conduits of vines, ultimately killing the plant. However, Vitis vinifera grapevine varieties differ in their susceptibility to Xf and numerous other plant species tolerate Xf populations without showing symptoms. The aim of this study was to examine the xylem structure of grapevines with different susceptibilities to Xf infection, as well as the xylem structure of non-grape plant species that support or limit movement of Xf to determine if anatomical differences might explain some of the differences in susceptibility to Xf.

Methods

Air and paint were introduced into leaves and stems to examine the connectivity between stem and leaves and the length distribution of their vessels. Leaf petiole and stem anatomies were studied to determine the basis for the free or restricted movement of Xf into the plant.

Key Results

There were no obvious differences in stem or petiole vascular anatomy among the grape varieties examined, nor among the other plant species that would explain differences in resistance to Xf. Among grape varieties, the more tolerant ‘Sylvaner’ had smaller stem vessel diameters and 20 % more parenchyma rays than the other three varieties. Alternative hosts supporting Xf movement had slightly longer open xylem conduits within leaves, and more connection between stem and leaves, when compared with alternative hosts that limit Xf movement.

Conclusions

Stem–leaf connectivity via open xylem conduits and vessel length is not responsible for differences in PD tolerance among grape varieties, or for limiting bacterial movement in the tolerant plant species. However, it was found that tolerant host plants had narrower vessels and more parenchyma rays, possibly restricting bacterial movement at the level of the vessels. The implications of xylem structure and connectivity for the means and regulation of bacterial movement are discussed.