Nutrient Solutions and Drought in Plant Growth and Fructans Content of Agave potatorum Zucc

The Agave potatorum Zucc. is a wild species endemic to Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico. The stem or “head” of the plants of this species contains a large amount of fructans, which, in conjunction with their crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), helps the agave to survive droughts. The soluble carbohydrates are used to produce mezcal. The objective was to evaluate growth and content of fructans of A. potatorum young plants grown in soil and perlite substrate, fertigated with three nutrient solutions, and subjected to drought. Eight-month-old plants were used and, for 15 months, were fertigated with nutrient solutions: 1) Steiner, 2) Hoagland and Arnon, and 3) Urrestarazu. Irrigation was later suspended to simulate a 5-month drought and induce stress. During fertigation, the vegetative growth was greater in plants irrigated with Hoagland and Arnon and Urrestarazu solutions in perlite and in soil. After the period of water deficit stress, plants in perlite substrate fertigated with the Hoagland and Arnon solution accumulated more fructans in the heads, reaching a maximum of 75%, than plants in soil substrate (42%).

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Transcriptional profiles of organellar metabolite transporters during induction of crassulacean acid metabolism in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

Functional Plant Biology ◽

10.1071/fp04188 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 32 (5) ◽

pp. 451 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Shin Kore-eda ◽

Chiyuki Noake ◽

Masahisa Ohishi ◽

Jun-ichi Ohnishi ◽

John C. Cushman

Keyword(s):

Crassulacean Acid Metabolism ◽

Acid Metabolism ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Transcript Abundance ◽

Transport Processes ◽

Mesembryanthemum Crystallinum ◽

Water Deficit Stress ◽

Diurnal Changes ◽

Metabolite Transport ◽

Leaf Tissues

Metabolite transport across multiple organellar compartments is essential for the operation of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). To investigate potential circadian regulation of inter-organellar metabolite transport processes, we have identified eight full-length cDNAs encoding an organellar triose phosphate / Pi translocator (McTPT1), a phosphoenolpyruvate / Pi translocator (McPPT1), two glucose-6-phosphate / Pi translocators (McGPT1, 2), two plastidic Pi translocator-like proteins (McPTL1, 2), two adenylate transporters (McANT1, 2), a dicarboxylate transporter (McDCT2), and a partial cDNA encoding a second dicarboxylate transporter (McDCT1) in the model CAM plant, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. We next investigated day / night changes in steady-state transcript abundance of each of these transporters in plants performing either C3 photosynthesis or CAM induced by salinity or water-deficit stress. We observed that the expression of both isogenes of the glucose-6-phosphate / Pi translocator (McGPT1, 2) was enhanced by CAM induction, with McGPT2 transcripts exhibiting much more pronounced diurnal changes in transcript abundance than McGPT1. Transcripts for McTPT1, McPPT1, and McDCT1 also exhibited more pronounced diurnal changes in abundance in the CAM mode relative to the C3 mode. McGPT2 and McDCT1 transcripts exhibited sustained oscillations for at least 3 d under constant light and temperature conditions suggesting their expression is under circadian clock control. McTPT1 and McGPT2 transcripts were preferentially expressed in leaf tissues in either C3 or CAM modes. The leaf-specific and / or circadian controlled gene expression patterns are consistent with McTPT1, McGPT2 and McDCT1 playing CAM-specific metabolite transport roles.

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Crassulacean acid metabolism and fitness under water deficit stress: if not for carbon gain, what is facultative CAM good for?

Annals of Botany ◽

10.1093/aob/mcn145 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 103 (4) ◽

pp. 645-653 ◽

Cited By ~ 96

Author(s):

Ana Herrera

Keyword(s):

Water Deficit ◽

Crassulacean Acid Metabolism ◽

Acid Metabolism ◽

Carbon Gain ◽

Water Deficit Stress ◽

Good For

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Halophyte Common Ice Plants: A Future Solution to Arable Land Salinization

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11216076 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (21) ◽

pp. 6076 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Danilo Loconsole ◽

Bernardo Murillo-Amador ◽

Giuseppe Cristiano ◽

Barbara De Lucia

Keyword(s):

Water Stress ◽

Wild Species ◽

Crassulacean Acid Metabolism ◽

Acid Metabolism ◽

Arable Land ◽

Antioxidant Properties ◽

Salt Tolerant ◽

Ice Plant ◽

C3 Photosynthesis ◽

The Common

The problems associated with the salinization of soils and water bodies and the increasing competition for scarce freshwater resources are increasing. Current attempts to adapt to these conditions through sustainable agriculture involves searching for new highly salt-tolerant crops, and wild species that have potential as saline crops are particularly suitable. The common ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) is an edible halophyte member of the Aizoaceae family, which switches from C3 photosynthesis to crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) when exposed to salinity or water stress. The aim of this review was to examine the potential of using the ice plant in both the wild and as a crop, and to describe its ecology and morphology, environmental and agronomic requirements, and physiology. The antioxidant properties and mineral composition of the ice plant are also beneficial to human health and have been extensively examined.

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