scholarly journals Induced Genetic Variations in Stomatal Density and Size of Rice Strongly Affect Water-Use Efficiency, Drought Tolerance, and Responses to Abiotic Stresses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mutiara K. Pitaloka ◽  
Robert S. Caine ◽  
Christopher Hepworth ◽  
Emily L. Harrison ◽  
Jen Sloan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Stomatal Density ◽  
The Other ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Stomata Density ◽  
Use Efficiency

Abstract BackgroundRice (Oryza sativa) is one of the world’s most important crops and is especially important in Asia. Because irrigated rice consumes about 34–43% of the total water used for irrigation globally, increasing drought and global temperature will increase the risk of rice crop loss. However, rice is among the least efficient crops in terms of water use, whereby most of the uptaken water is used for transpirational cooling via stomatal pores on the leaf blades and sheaths. To increase the water-use efficiency of rice, alterations in stomatal density and size may help to reduce transpiration and thereby increase water-use efficiency (WUE). ResultsWe identified four stomatal model lines—with either high-density (HD) or low-density (LD) stomata and small-sized (SS) or big-sized (BS) stomata—from the Mutant Core Collection (MCC) of 216 mutants. Gas exchange analysis revealed that the stomatal model lines have similar photosynthetic assimilation (A) and chlorophyll fluorescence. With increasing CO2 concentration, A of all stomatal model lines was observed to respond similarly at 100–600 ppm CO2, but beyond this point, SS was more responsive to increasing CO2 concentration than the other stomatal model lines. HD had higher stomatal conductance (gs) and gsmax than the other stomatal model lines. In response to a mild heat at 30 °C, both SS and LD had higher canopy temperature than HD, BS, and JHN-wt as a result of heat retention. All stomatal model lines are also similar in their rhythmic stomatal responses to ten-minute dark/light transition cycles, except that initial stomata closure in SS was more rapid than in BS. The stomatal model lines did not show any significant differences in the response to short-term water stress. Long-term water stress had less impact on leaf drying, Fv/Fm, grain yield, and harvest index in LD and SS. In the field, all stomatal model lines and JHN-wt had similar WUE in the sufficient-water treatment. LD had the highest WUE and biomass/plant than any stomatal model lines in the long-term restricted-water treatment. ConclusionsTaken together, our results suggest that induced alterations in stomata density and size influence rice WUE and the responses to drought and heat stresses, providing further understanding of the roles of stomata density and size in related processes. The low-density and small stomata lines have high potential as genetic donors for improving WUE and drought in climate-ready rice.

scholarly journals Contrasting water-use strategies in two sympatric cool-temperate rainforest species, Nothofagus cunninghamii (Nothofagaceae) and Atherosperma moschatum (Atherospermataceae)

2008 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katy E. Sommerville ◽  
Jennifer Read
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Temperate Rainforest ◽  
Water Deficits ◽  
Cool Temperate ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Stomatal Sensitivity ◽  
Water Use Strategy

Nothofagus cunninghamii (Hook.) Oerst. and Atherosperma moschatum Labill. co-occur in cool-temperate rainforest across the wetter parts of Tasmania and Victoria, Australia, but A. moschatum extends to drier areas than N. cunninghamii. Possible reasons include differential tolerance of drought and fire or dispersal capacity. Here, we compare these species in their responses to water deficits. Differences in seedling survival, leaf tissue damage, shoot water relations, stomatal sensitivity, allocation of biomass and the long-term water-use efficiency of each species in response to water stress were investigated. N. cunninghamii showed traits typical of a high-water-use species, such as high stomatal conductance, a strategy that is not surprising in a rainforest species. However, it also displayed an exceptional ability to draw water from the soil and longer seedling roots, allowing replacement of water lost, at least in the short term. A. moschatum showed a more conservative water-use strategy, surviving greater internal dehydration with less damage, and displaying greater stomatal sensitivity to drought and long-term water-use efficiency in trees. The apparently superior long-term drought resistance of A. moschatum may in part explain its more common occurrence in drier regions than N. cunninghamii, at least in Tasmania, while the capacity of N. cunninghamii to survive short but severe periods of water stress correlates well with its higher position in the canopy and greater exposure to sunlight and desiccating winds. However, there is little evidence to suggest that the absence of N. cunninghamii from the rainforests of eastern Victoria is due to drought. We also suggest that the water-use strategy of N. cunninghamii may relate not just to surviving water deficits, but to maximising annual carbon gain in a temperate climate that is, on average, driest during the warmest time of the year.

scholarly journals Overexpression of MdATG8i improves water use efficiency in transgenic apple by modulating photosynthesis, osmotic balance, and autophagic activity under moderate water deficit

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Jia ◽  
Ke Mao ◽  
Ping Wang ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Xumei Jia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Deficit ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Photosynthetic Capacity ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
Moderate Drought ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Autophagic Activity

AbstractWater deficit is one of the major limiting factors for apple (Malus domestica) production on the Loess Plateau, a major apple cultivation area in China. The identification of genes related to the regulation of water use efficiency (WUE) is a crucial aspect of crop breeding programs. As a conserved degradation and recycling mechanism in eukaryotes, autophagy has been reported to participate in various stress responses. However, the relationship between autophagy and WUE regulation has not been explored. We have shown that a crucial autophagy protein in apple, MdATG8i, plays a role in improving salt tolerance. Here, we explored its biological function in response to long-term moderate drought stress. The results showed that MdATG8i-overexpressing (MdATG8i-OE) apple plants exhibited higher WUE than wild-type (WT) plants under long-term moderate drought conditions. Plant WUE can be increased by improving photosynthetic efficiency. Osmoregulation plays a critical role in plant stress resistance and adaptation. Under long-term drought conditions, the photosynthetic capacity and accumulation of sugar and amino acids were higher in MdATG8i-OE plants than in WT plants. The increased photosynthetic capacity in the OE plants could be attributed to their ability to maintain optimal stomatal aperture, organized chloroplasts, and strong antioxidant activity. MdATG8i overexpression also promoted autophagic activity, which was likely related to the changes described above. In summary, our results demonstrate that MdATG8i-OE apple lines exhibited higher WUE than WT under long-term moderate drought conditions because they maintained robust photosynthesis, effective osmotic adjustment processes, and strong autophagic activity.

Water Stress Effects on Growth, Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Hemarthria Compressa

2012 ◽  
Vol 212-213 ◽  
pp. 578-585
Author(s):  
Zhong Wen Yang ◽  
Jun Ying Jin ◽  
Xin Yi Xu
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Control Period ◽  
Growth Yield ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Hemarthria Compressa

Water stress is an important approach to use water resources efficiently and remit the agricultural water shortage. Hemarthria compressa is one of perennial grasses, a pasture of high quality, which has abundant species resources in China. To explore the response of the growth, yield and water use efficiency(WUE) of Hemarthria compressa under water stress, this study, adapting pot experiment, imposed three water stress degree (LD, MD and SD) treatments and a control treatment on Hemarthria compressa. The data of growth indicators during control period, yield and total water consumption were obtained. The results show a noticeable inhibitory action of water stress on the growth of Hemarthria compressa. Along with the intensifying of water stress, plant height increment, leaf area, total biomass, dry matter of each organ and yield decreased, and the root-shoot ratio increased firstly and inclined to slump finally. Plants under the middle water stress treatment achieved the greatest WUE of 38.25 kg/m3. The first 10d in the water control period was the most sensitive period of the pasture responding to water stress.

scholarly journals Reducing the Excessive Evaporative Demand Improved the Water-use Efficiency of Greenhouse Cucumber by Regulating the Trade-off between Irrigation Demand and Plant Productivity

HortScience ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (12) ◽  
pp. 1784-1790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalong Zhang ◽  
Yuping Liu ◽  
Yang Li ◽  
Lijie Qin ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Flow ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Plant Productivity ◽  
Plant Water ◽  
Evaporative Demand ◽  
Plant Water Stress ◽  
Irrigation Demand ◽  
Use Efficiency

Although atmospheric evaporative demand mediates water flow and constrains water-use efficiency (WUE) to a large extent, the potential to reduce irrigation demand and improve water productivity by regulating the atmospheric water driving force is highly uncertain. To bridge this gap, water transport in combination with plant productivity was examined in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) grown at contrasting evaporative demand gradients. Reducing the excessive vapor pressure deficit (VPD) decreased the water flow rate, which reduced irrigation consumption significantly by 16.4%. Reducing excessive evaporative demand moderated plant water stress, as leaf dehydration, hydraulic limitation, and excessive negative water potential were prevented by maintaining water balance in the low-VPD treatment. The moderation of plant water stress by reducing evaporative demand sustained stomatal function for photosynthesis and plant growth, which increased substantially fruit yield and shoot biomass by 20.1% and 18.4%, respectively. From a physiological perspective, a reduction in irrigation demand and an improvement in plant productivity were achieved concomitantly by reducing the excessive VPD. Consequently, WUE based on the criteria of plant biomass and fruit yield was increased significantly by 43.1% and 40.5%, respectively.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document