Effects of sulfite and pH on abscisic acid-dependent transpiration and on stomatal opening

In rice, alday, wheat and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. Samsunand Samsun NN) plants which contained large amounts of ABA,the transpiration rate decreased rapidly with 2 ppm SO₂ fumigationand reached 20 to 65% of the initial level after 5- to 30-minexposure depending on their ABA contents. In the cases of broadbean and tobacco (N. glutinosa L.) with low ABA contents, therate slightly increased for 20 and 40 min, respectively, afterthe start of the fumigation and then decreased gradually. Thetranspiration rates of corn and sorghum, in spite of their extremelylow ABA contents, pronouncedly decreased with SO₂ fumigationand reached 65 and 50%, respectively, of the initial levelsafter 40-min exposure. Foliar application of 0.04 N HC1 to N.tabacum L. Samsun NN leaves remarkably depressed the transpirationrate, while the application of 0.04 M Na₂SO₃ decreased the rateonly to the same level as water treatment. Foliar applicationof either HCl or Na₂SO₃ to N. glutinosa L. leaves exerted littlechange in the transpiration rate. When 10^–4M ABA was appliedto broad bean leaves prior to HCl and Na₂SO₃ treatment, theirtranspiration rate was decreased by HCl, but not by Na₂SO₃ application.In sonicated epidermal strips peeled from broad bean leaves,Na₂SO₃ produced a slight increase in the stomatal aperture sizein the absence of ABA, but showed no effect in the presenceof ABA. The aperture size was identical in the pH range of 3.0to 7.0 in the incubation medium. In the presence of ABA in themedium, the aperture size was small in the acidic region ofpH with a minimal value at pH 4.0. ABA decreased the aperturesize at concentrations above 10^–9 M at pH 4.0 and 10^–6M at pH 7.0 in the medium. [2_–14C] ABA uptake by epidermalstrips was large in the acidic region, especially at pH 4.0. (Received February 28, 1980; )