Common Mechanisms of Response to the Stresses of High Salinity and Low Temperature and Genetic Mapping of Stress Tolerance Loci in Citrus

The objectives that were outlined in our original proposal have largely been achieved or will be so by the end of the project in February 1995 with one exception; that of mapping cold tolerance loci based on the segregation of tolerance in the BC1 progeny population. Briefly, our goals were to 1) construct a densely populated linkage map of the citrus genome: 2) map loci important in cold and/or salt stress tolerance; and 3) characterize the expression of genes responsive to cold land salt stress. As can be seen by the preceding listing of accomplishments, our original objectives A and B have been realized, objective C has been partially tested, objective D has been completed, and work on objectives E and F will be completed by the end of 1995. Although we have yet to map any loci that contribute to an ability of citrus to maintain growth when irrigated with saline water, our very encouraging results from the 1993 experiment provides us with considerable hope that 1994's much more comprehensive and better controlled experiment will yield the desired results once the data has been fully analyzed. Part of our optimism derives from the findings that loci for growth are closely linked with loci associated with foliar Cl- and Na+ accumulation patterns under non-salinization conditions. In the 1994 experiment, if ion exclusion or sequestration traits are segregating in the population, the experimental design will permit their resolution. Our fortunes with respect to cold tolerance is another situation. In three attempts to quantitatively characterize cold tolerance as an LT50, the results have been too variable and the incremental differences between sensitive and tolerant too small to use for mapping. To adequately determine the LT50 requires many plants, many more than we have been able to generate in the time and space available by making cuttings from small greenhouse-grown stock plants. As it has turned out, with citrus, to prepare enough plants needed to be successful in this objective would have required extensive facilities for both growing and testing hardiness which simply were not available at University of Florida. The large populations necessary to overcome the variability we encountered was unanticipated and unforeseeable at the project's outset. In spite of the setbacks, this project, when it is finally complete will be exceedingly successful. Listing of Accomplishments During the funded interval we have accomplished the following objectives: Developed a reasonably high density linkage map for citrus - mapped the loci for two cold responsive genes that were cloned from Poncirus - mapped the loci for csa, the salt responsive gene for glutathione peroxidase, and ccr a circadian rhythm gene from citrus - identified loci that confer parental derived specific DNA methylation patterns in the Citrus X Poncirus cross - mapped 5 loci that determine shoot vigor - mapped 2 loci that influence leaf Na+ accumulation patterns under non-saline conditions in the BC1 population - mapped 3 loci that influence leaf Na+ accumulation paterns during salt sress - mapped 2 loci that control leaf Cl- accumulation patterns under non-saline conditions - mapped a locus that controls leaf Cl- accumulation patterns during salt stress Screened the BC1 population for growth reduction during salinization (controls and salinized), and cold tolerance - determined population variation for shoot/root ratio of Na+ and Cl- - determined levels for 12 inorganic nutrient elements in an effort to examine the influence of salinization on ion content with emphasis on foliar responses - collected data on ion distribution to reveal patterns of exclusion/sequestration/ accumulation - analyzed relationships between ion content and growth Characterization of gene expression in response to salt or cold stress - cloned the gene for the salt responsive protein csa, identified it as glutathione peroxidase, determined the potential target substrate from enzymatic studies - cloned two other genes responsive to salt stress, one for the citrus homologue of a Lea5, and the other for an "oleosin" like gene - cold regulated (cor) genes belonging to five hybridization classes were isolated from Poncirus, two belonged to the group 2 Lea superfamily of stress proteins, the others show no significant homology to other known sequences - the expression of csa during cold acclimation was examined, and the expression of some of the cor genes were examined in response to salt stress - the influence of salinization on cold tolerance has been examined with seedling populations - conducted protein blot studies for expression of cold stress proteins during salt stress and vice versa