CAM-idling in Hoya carnosa (Asclepiadaceae)

In the leaf succulent Asclepiad Hoya carnosa (L.) R. Br., CAM photosynthesis occurred under well-watered conditions, as characterized by diurnal gas exchange and changes in titratable acidity. Following 10–12 days of severe water stress, the plants shifted from CAM to a modified CAM-idling mode of metabolism. CAM-idling was characterized by complete or almost complete stomatal closure accompanied by CAM-like diurnal changes in titratable acidity. H. carnosa plants maintained this CAM-idling mode of photosynthesis for at least 8 weeks. Upon reirrigation, the plants returned to the original CAM mode within 1 week. These results suggested that CAM-idling is a reversible, intermediate form of sustained metabolism which enables plant survival under conditions of extended drought.This work was supported in part by NSF Grant PCM 8200366 and in part by the Science and Education Administration of the United States Department of Agriculture under Competitive Grant 5901-0420-8-0018-0.     

Root respiration during grain filling in sunflower: The effects of water stress

Instantaneous rates of (soil + root) respiration were measured periodically during grain filling in sunflower crops that were i) irrigated at weekly intervals and ii) subjected to water stress for the last 25 days of the 40-day grain filling period. Daily (soil + root) respiration was calculated using instantaneous respiration rates, an empirically determined temperature response function, and diurnal records of soil temperature. Daily soil respiration was estimated using empirically determined functions linking soil respiration to soil temperature and water content. Between anthesis and maturity, daily root respiration of the irrigated crop dropped by about one half from ca. 1.8 g C m^-2 d^-1, exhibiting a strong association with daily crop gross photosynthesis. Water stress brought about a rapid decrease in root respiration, which fell to about 0.1 g C m^-2 d^-1 at maturity. Root respiration during grain filling was 46 and 30 g C m^-2 for irrigated and stressed crops, respectively.     

Leaf responses to soil water deficits: Comparative sensitivity of leaf expansion rate and leaf conductance in field-grown sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

The relative importance of changes in leaf expansion rate (LER) and leaf conductance (g₁) in the control of crop transpiration depends primarily on their sensitivity to soil water deficits. The aim of this paper was to quantify the responses of LER and g₁ to soil water deficits in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) under conditions of moderate (spring) and high (summer) evaporative demand. Soil water content, g₁, and LER were measured in dryland (DRY) and daily-irrigated (WET) crops established on a deep sandy-loam (Typic Xerofluvent) in a Mediterranean environment. There was no difference between g₁ of DRY and WET plants (p>0.20) in contrast with a highly significant difference in LER (p<0.001). Even under the harsh conditions of the summer experiment, g₁ did not respond to water deficit in a ten-day period in which LER of DRY plants was reduced to approx. 30% of that measured in WET controls. This field study indicates that g₁ plays at most a minor role in the control of sunflower transpiration in the pre-anthesis period and confirms the importance of leaf expansion in the regulation of gas exchange of expanding canopies subjected to soil water deficits.     

Responses of potato genotypes to drought. II. Leaf area index, growth and yield

Canopy expansion, growth and yield were examined in 19 genotypes of potato (Solanurn tuberosum L.) grown either with irrigation or droughted from the time of plant emergence. In the irrigated treatment, genotypes differed both in the maximum leaf area index (L_ai) achieved and in the duration the canopy was maintained. Drought reduced both the rate of canopy expansion and the maximum L_ai achieved. In the droughted treatment, biomass production was correlated with leaf area duration. The relation between the effect of drought on the growth of individual leaves and biomass or yield is examined. It is concluded that selection for early leaf appearance combined with the ability to sustain leaf growth with increasing soil moisture deficit (SMD) would improve productivity in the presence of drought.     

Semi-High Throughput Screening for Potential Drought-tolerance in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Germplasm Collections

This protocol describes a method by which a large collection of the leafy green vegetable lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) germplasm was screened for likely drought-tolerance traits. Fresh water availability for agricultural use is a growing concern across the United States as well as many regions of the world. Short-term drought events along with regulatory intervention in the regulation of water availability coupled with the looming threat of long-term climate shifts that may lead to reduced precipitation in many important agricultural regions has increased the need to hasten the development of crops adapted for improved water use efficiency in order to maintain or expand production in the coming years. This protocol is not meant as a step-by-step guide to identifying at either the physiological or molecular level drought-tolerance traits in lettuce, but rather is a method developed and refined through the screening of thousands of different lettuce varieties. The nature of this screen is based in part on the streamlined measurements focusing on only three water-stress indicators: leaf relative water content, wilt, and differential plant growth following drought-stress. The purpose of rapidly screening a large germplasm collection is to narrow the candidate pool to a point in which more intensive physiological, molecular, and genetic methods can be applied to identify specific drought-tolerant traits in either the lab or field. Candidates can also be directly incorporated into breeding programs as a source of drought-tolerance traits.     

The effect of a long-term water stress on the metabolism and emission of terpenes of the foliage of Cupressus sempervirens

The effects of long-term water stress on water and terpene contents of the foliage of Cupressus sempervirens were studied. A great deal of water was lost over 2 months before a remarkable stabilization. A strong decrease of all the classes of terpenes accompanied this dehydration. Mono- and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and free terpenols were almost entirely metabolized, whereas esters and terpene glycosides rose slightly and remained at a constant level when the water content had stabilized. Although a significant part of the mono- and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons was emitted in the early stage of stress application, the major part was used by the plant in response to the drought conditions.     

水杨酸对水分胁迫黄瓜幼苗叶片生理过程的影响

研究了外源水杨酸 salicylic acid,SA 对水分胁迫下黄瓜幼苗叶片主要生理过程的影响 . 1m mol/L 的 SA处理黄瓜幼苗 2 4 h后 ,叶片中 POD活性剧增 ,SOD活性增加不明显 ,H2 O2 清除酶 CAT和 APX活性受抑制 ,H2 O2 含量上升引起膜脂过氧化产物 MDA含量上升 ,造成轻度氧化胁迫 ;在随后水分胁迫过程中 ,经 SA预处理积累的 H2 O2 诱导 APX和 CAT活性上升并清除产生的 H2 O2 ;SA预处理后 ,叶片中 Rubisco含量及其基因转录水平明显高于对照 ,光合作用受影响较小 .这表明 SA使黄瓜幼苗生理活性有较大改善 ,增强了植株对水分胁迫的抗性     

Determination of glycine betaine by pyrolysis-gas chromatography in cereals and grasses

A procedure for determining glycine betaine levels in plants involving pyrolysis-gas chromatography is described. It has been successfully applied to the analysis of 22 species of grasses.     

Gene expression associated with water-stress adaptation of rice cells and identification of two genes as hsp 70 and ubiquitin

We have isolated polyethylene glycol (PEG)-adapted rice cells that can proliferate in a medium with 20% PEG as well as in a medium with 1% NaCl. The adapted-cells overproduce a set of proteins whose roles may be associated with water-stress adaptation. To isolate genes encoding these proteins, we differentially screened a cDNA library and obtained 5 cDNA clones which showed preferential hybridization to mRNA of adapted cells. The present paper describes the pattern of expression and the sequence analysis of these 5 genes. Sequence analysis of partial cDNAs indicates that two genes encode the 70 kDa heat shock protein and the ubiquitin but the identities of the other 3 are not known. The expression of all 5 genes fluctuates slightly during the growth cycle of the PEG-adapted cells grown in the control or in the PEG-containing medium. In contrast, gene expression in the parental cells fluctuates to a much greater extent and always begins with an enhanced expression during the first day after subculture. Sub-lethal concentrations of PEG or NaCl have no immediate effect on gene expression in parental cells but NaCl may have a long term effect in enhancing the expression of two genes after 5 days. Abscisic acid (ABA) has no effect on the expression of 4 genes but suppresses the expression of one gene. The roles of these genes in water-stress adaptation of plant cells are discussed.