scholarly journals Osmoregulants Involved in Osmotic Adjustment for Differential Drought Tolerance in Different Bentgrass Genotypes

2015 ◽  
Vol 140 (6) ◽  
pp. 605-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanqing Liu ◽  
Yixin Shen ◽  
Bingru Huang

Compatible solute accumulation regulating osmotic adjustment (OA) is associated with drought tolerance. The objectives of this study were to examine genetic variations in OA among a diverse group of bentgrass (Agrostis sp.) genotypes or lines with differential drought tolerance, and determine major types of organic osmoregulants contributing to OA and accounting for the genetic variations in drought tolerance. A wild type cultivar of creeping bentgrass [Agrostis stolonifera (Penncross)], a transgenic line of creeping bentgrass (SAGIPT41), and four hybrid bentgrass lines [Agrostis capillaris × Agrostis stolonifera (ColxCr14, ColxCr190, ColxCr481, and ColxCr679)] were exposed to drought stress by withholding irrigation for 17 days in growth chambers. Among genotypes, ColxCr14, ColxCr190, and SAGIPT41 showed superior drought tolerance, as manifested by higher turf quality (TQ) and leaf relative water content (RWC), as well as OA than ‘Penncross’, ColxCr679, and ColxCr481 under drought stress. SAGIPT41 leaves accumulated greater content of soluble sugars (glucose, sucrose, and fructose), proline, glycine betaine (GB), and spermine; ColxCr190 had higher content of soluble sugars and spermidine; and ColxCr14 accumulated more soluble sugars and GB, compared with the three drought-sensitive genotypes. Soluble sugars were predominant contributors to OA, followed by GB and proline, with all three forms of polyamine (PA) as minor contributors in bentgrass genotypes. The osmolytes highly correlated to OA and superior drought tolerance could be used as biomarkers to select for drought-tolerant germplasm of bentgrass and other cool-season turfgrass species.

HortScience ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 519-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen E. McCann ◽  
Bingru Huang

The objectives of this study were: 1) to compare drought responses between the more recently developed creeping bentgrass cultivars to standard cultivars and 2) to determine differential drought tolerance and avoidance characteristics associated with cultivar variation in drought resistance. Six cultivars of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stoloniferia) (‘Penn A-4’, ‘Independence’, ‘Declaration’, ‘L-93’, ‘Penncross’, and ‘Putter’) were maintained in growth chambers at 20 °C day/15 °C night either well-watered or exposed to drought stress by withholding water for 17 days. Cultivars varied in turf performance and physiological responses (leaf relative water content and photochemical efficiency) to drought stress, which was reflected in their differences in drought tolerance (osmotic adjustment) and drought avoidance traits (water use rate and efficiency, root viability, root length, and number). ‘Penn A-4,’ ‘Independence,’ and ‘L-93’ generally performed better than other three cultivars under drought conditions, mainly through maintaining higher water use efficiency, root viability, root elongation, or root production. The majority of physiological parameters evaluated suggested that of the six creeping bentgrass cultivars examined in this study, the three cultivars with better ability to survive drought stress used mainly avoidance traits related to water use and water uptake.


2010 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 230-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily B. Merewitz ◽  
Thomas Gianfagna ◽  
Bingru Huang

Drought stress is a widespread abiotic stress that causes a decline in plant growth. Drought injury symptoms have been associated with an inhibition in cytokinin (CK) synthesis. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether expression of a gene (ipt) encoding the enzyme adenine isopentenyl phosphotransferase for CK synthesis ligated to a senescence-activated promoter (SAG12) or a heat shock promoter (HSP18.2) would improve drought tolerance in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) and to examine shoot and root growth responses to drought stress associated with changes in endogenous production of CK, and the proportional change in CK and abscisic acid (ABA) due to ipt transformation. Most SAG12-ipt and HSP18.2-ipt transgenic lines exhibited significantly higher turf quality, photochemical efficiency, chlorophyll content, leaf relative water content, and root:shoot ratio under drought stress than the null transformant or the wild-type ‘Penncross’ plants. Transgenic lines that had better growth and turf performance generally had higher CK content and a higher CK-to-ABA ratio, although the direct correlation of CK and ABA content with individual physiological parameters in individual lines was not clear. Our results demonstrated that expressing ipt resulted in the improvement of turf performance under drought stress in creeping bentgrass in some of the transgenic plants with SAG12-ipt or HSP18.2-ipt, which could be associated with the suppression of leaf senescence and promoting root growth relative to shoot growth due to the maintenance of higher CK level and a higher ratio of CK to ABA.


HortScience ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 1133-1137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaolong Wang ◽  
Bingru Huang ◽  
Stacy A. Bonos ◽  
William A. Meyer

Drought is a major factor limiting plant growth, which has been associated with the accumulation of absicsic acid (ABA) in various species. The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between ABA accumulation and drought tolerance for kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) during short-term drought stress. Eight kentucky bluegrass cultivars (`Midnight', `A82-204', `RSP', `Alpine', `Moonlight', `Brilliant', `Washington', and `Baruzo') were subjected to drought stress in a growth chamber. Water relations, gas exchange rate, and ABA content of leaves were determined at various times during drought stress. Turf quality decreased with drought duration for all eight cultivars. Leaf ABA content increased linearly with drought stress within 11 days of treatment; the rate of the increase was negatively related to the rate of turf quality decline. The rate of ABA accumulation during drought stress was positively correlated with the rates of decrease in turf quality (r2 = 0.6346), increase in electrolyte leakage (r2 = 0.7128), and decrease in relative water content (r2 = 0.5913). There were highly significant negative correlations between ABA content and leaf water potential (r2 = 0.9074), stomatal conductance (r2 = 0.6088), transpiration rate (r2 = 0.6581), net photosynthesis rate (r2 = 0.6956), and a positive correlation between ABA content and electrolyte leakage (r2 = 0.7287). The results indicate that drought tolerance is negatively related to ABA accumulation during shortterm drought stress. ABA accumulation in response to drought stress could be used as a metabolic factor to select for drought tolerance in kentucky bluegrass.


2015 ◽  
Vol 140 (5) ◽  
pp. 459-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingjin Yu ◽  
Mengxian Liu ◽  
Zhimin Yang ◽  
Bingru Huang

Drought stress is one of the most important abiotic stresses limiting plant growth, while high recuperative capacity of plants from drought damages is critical for plant survival in periods of drought stress and rewatering. The objective of our study was to determine physiological and growth factors in association with drought tolerance and recuperative capacity of cool-season kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis cv. Excursion II) and warm-season zoysigrass (Zoysia matrella cv. Diomand), which were grown in controlled environment chambers and maintained well watered (control) or subjected to drought stress and subsequently rewatering. Compared with kentucky bluegrass, zoysiagrass maintained higher leaf hydration level during drought stress, as shown by greater relative water content (RWC), improved osmotic adjustment (OA), increased leaf thickness, and more extensive root system at deeper soil layers. Turf quality (TQ) and photosynthesis recovered to a greater level and sooner in response to rewatering for zoysiagrass, compared with kentucky bluegrass, which could be due to more rapid reopening of stomata [higher stomatal conductance (gS)] and leaf rehydration (higher RWC). The aforementioned physiological factors associated with leaf dehydration tolerance during drought and rapid resumption in turf growth and photosynthesis in zoysiagrass could be useful traits for improving drought tolerance in turfgrasses.


2009 ◽  
Vol 134 (5) ◽  
pp. 505-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuju Bian ◽  
Emily Merewitz ◽  
Bingru Huang

Understanding factors influencing drought resistance traits is important for improving turfgrass growth in water-limited environments. The objectives of this study were to examine effects of a plant growth regulator, trinexapac-ethyl (TE), on turf growth and water use for creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) exposed to drought stress, and to determine changes in the accumulation of solutes involved in osmotic adjustment associated with TE application. Plant foliage of cultivar L-93 was sprayed with 1.95 mL·L−1 of TE at 0.113% a.i. 14 days before and at the initiation of drought stress. TE-treated and untreated plants were exposed to well-watered or drought stress conditions for 28 days in a growth chamber. TE-treated plants exhibited a reduced rate of water depletion from the soil as demonstrated by higher soil water content, lower evapotranspiration rates, and higher leaf relative water content during 28 days of drought stress compared with non-TE-treated plants. During the later phase of drought stress, TE-treated plants had a greater reduction in leaf ψS at full turgor or greater osmotic adjustment, which was associated with increased accumulation of soluble sugars and inorganic ions (Ca and K) in leaves of TE-treated plants. Proline content increased in response to drought stress, but was unaffected by TE application, suggesting that it may not contribute to the effects of TE on osmotic adjustment. TE-treated plants maintained significantly higher turf quality and leaf photochemical efficiency under drought stress. The results suggest that the promotive effects of TE application on turf growth during drought stress were associated with the reduction in water depletion or lower water use and increases in osmotic adjustment due to the accumulation of inorganic solutes and soluble sugars.


2017 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanqing Liu ◽  
Shaoyan Lin ◽  
Bingru Huang

Glycine betaine (GB) and spermidine (Spd) are known to play roles in plant adaptation to stresses that induce dehydration, including drought stress. The objectives of this study were to examine whether improved drought tolerance by exogenous application of GB or Spd is associated with the increases in the endogenous accumulation of those solutes under drought stress in cool-season turfgrass species, and to determine the relative effects of those solutes on osmotic adjustment (OA) and antioxidant metabolism for improving drought tolerance. Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera cv. Penncross) plants were treated with 200 mm GB or 0.1 mm Spd for 3 weeks by weekly foliar application before the exposure to drought stress; those plants were subsequently subjected to drought stress by withholding irrigation. The endogenous content of GB and Spd increased significantly through the exogenous application of either compound, to a greater magnitude for GB. The comparison of GB- or Spd-treated plants to untreated plants exposed to drought stress for growth [turf quality (TQ)] and physiological responses (water relations, membrane stability, and antioxidant metabolism) demonstrated that both compounds led to significant improvement in drought tolerance in creeping bentgrass. The improved drought tolerance by exogenous GB could be due to its contribution to OA by significant accumulation of endogenous GB, and activation of antioxidant enzymes with the greatest effects on ascorbate peroxidase (APX). Exogenous Spd did not cause increases in leaf OA despite of the increased endogenous accumulation, but significantly enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, with the most pronounced effects on catalase (CAT). This study demonstrated that GB and Spd had different effects on OA and activated different antioxidant defense pathways, protecting plants from drought damages in creeping bentgrass.


2020 ◽  
Vol 145 (4) ◽  
pp. 236-246
Author(s):  
Zhou Li ◽  
Yan Peng ◽  
Bingru Huang

Small molecules, including H2O2 and Ca, mediate stress signaling and drought tolerance in plants. The objective of this study was to determine whether improvement in drought tolerance by H2O2 and Ca were associated with the regulation of transcription factors and stress-protective genes in perennial grass species. Plants of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) were sprayed with water (control), H2O2 (9 mm), or CaCl2 (10 mm) and exposed to drought stress for 20 days in controlled-environment growth chambers. Foliar application of H2O2 or Ca led to significant improvement in drought tolerance of creeping bentgrass, as demonstrated by greater turf quality, leaf relative water content, chlorophyll content, photochemical efficiency, and cell membrane stability, as compared with the untreated control. The application of H2O2 and Ca resulted in significant up-regulation of genes in Ca signaling transduction pathways [Ca-dependent kinase 26 (CDPK26), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), and 14-3-3] and transcript factors (WRKY75 and MYB13). For genes encoding antioxidant enzymes, H2O2 mainly enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) expression, while Ca primarily improved transcript levels of SOD, monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), and GR. In addition, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), metallothionein 1 (MT1), and glutamine synthetase 2 (GS2) were also markedly up-regulated by H2O2 and Ca under drought stress. However, the transcript level of lipoxygenase 3 (LOX3) was significantly down-regulated by H2O2 and Ca under well-watered and drought conditions. These results imply that H2O2 and Ca commonly or differentially regulate genes expression in association with drought tolerance through activating Ca signaling pathway and regulating transcription factors and stress-protective genes expression, leading to the alleviation of lipid peroxidation, maintenance of correct protein folding and translocation, and enhancement of nitrogen metabolism under a prolonged period of drought stress in creeping bentgrass.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1706
Author(s):  
Mei Yang ◽  
Xinhang Duan ◽  
Zhaoyu Wang ◽  
Hang Yin ◽  
Junrui Zang ◽  
...  

Voltage-dependent anion channels (VDACs) are highly conserved proteins that are involved in the translocation of tRNA and play a key role in modulating plant senescence and multiple pathways. However, the functions of VDACs in plants are still poorly understood. Here, a novel VDAC gene was isolated and identified from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). MsVDAC localized to the mitochondria, and its expression was highest in alfalfa roots and was induced in response to cold, drought and salt treatment. Overexpression of MsVDAC in tobacco significantly increased MDA, GSH, soluble sugars, soluble protein and proline contents under cold and drought stress. However, the activities of SOD and POD decreased in transgenic tobacco under cold stress, while the O2− content increased. Stress-responsive genes including LTP1, ERD10B and Hxk3 were upregulated in the transgenic plants under cold and drought stress. However, GAPC, CBL1, BI-1, Cu/ZnSOD and MnSOD were upregulated only in the transgenic tobacco plants under cold stress, and GAPC, CBL1, and BI-1 were downregulated under drought stress. These results suggest that MsVDAC provides cold tolerance by regulating ROS scavenging, osmotic homeostasis and stress-responsive gene expression in plants, but the improved drought tolerance via MsVDAC may be mainly due to osmotic homeostasis and stress-responsive genes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 75-84
Author(s):  
Alireza Motallebi-Azar ◽  
István Papp ◽  
Anita Szegő

Dehydrins are proteins that play a role in the mechanism of drought tolerance. This study aimed at establishing dehydrin profile and accumulation in four local melon varieties of Iran: Mino, Dargazi, Saveii, and Semsori, as well as in a commercial variety Honeydew. Plants were treated with drought stress by adjusting the soil water content to 75, 50, 40, 30 and 20% of field capacity (FC) by withholding water. Water status of plants was monitored based on the seedling fresh weight (FW) and relative water content of leaves (RWC). Total protein content was extracted, then heat-stable protein (HSP) fraction was isolated for each variety and water stress treatment. After SDS-PAGE of HSP, Western blotting analysis was carried out with Anti-dehydrin rabbit (primary) and Goat anti rabbit (secondary) antibodies. ANOVA results showed that with decreasing FC below 75%, FW and RWC decreased, but these changes significantly varied among genotypes. On the basis of FW and RWC data under different drought stress treatments, the following drought-tolerant ranking was established: Mino > Dargazi > Saveii and Honeydew > Semsori, from tolerant to sensitive order. Results of Western blot analysis showed that expression of some proteins with molecular weights of 19–52 kDa was induced in the studied varieties under drought stress (% FC). Expression level of the dehydrin proteins in different varieties was variable and also depending on the drought stress level applied. However, dehydrin proteins (45 and 50 kDa) showed strong expression levels in all varieties under severe drought stress (20% FC). The abundance of dehydrin proteins was higher in tolerant varieties (Mino and Dargazi) than in moderate and drought sensitive genotypes. Consequently, dehydrins represent a potential marker for selection of genotypes with enhanced drought tolerance.


Author(s):  
K.D. Nkoana ◽  
Abe Shegro Gerrano ◽  
E.T. Gwata

The genetic potential for drought tolerance in cowpea within the small holder sector has not been fully exploited in South Africa. Thus, a drought evaluation experiment was conducted at the ARC-VOP to evaluate 28 cowpea germplasm accessions including two controls viz. IT96D-602 (drought tolerant) and TVU7778 (susceptible to drought) in the drought screening house using plastic box evaluation method in January, 2017. Genotypes raised for three weeks were subjected to 5 weeks of water stress treatment to determine their physiological response through leaf wilting index, relative water content and proline content followed by re-watering to determine genotype (s) with ability to recover from drought stress. Analyses of variance showed highly significant differences in response to moisture stress among the cowpea accessions for the selected physiological traits except for leaf wilting index at week two of drought stress. Stem greenness and recovery appeared to be a reliable indicator of drought tolerant genotypes which was readily observed in Acc1257, Acc1168, Acc2355, IT96D-602 and Acc5352 which also correlated significantly and positively with relative water content and proline content. The genotypes responded differently to drought stress indicating that there is sufficient genetic variability that can be utilized further in breeding for drought stress within the cowpea species.


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