scholarly journals Apple Autotetraploids—Phenotypic Characterisation and Response to Drought Stress

Agronomy ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Danuta Wójcik ◽  
Monika Marat ◽  
Agnieszka Marasek-Ciołakowska ◽  
Krzysztof Klamkowski ◽  
Zbigniew Buler ◽  
...  

Polyploidization is an important source of variability for plant breeding. Polyploids are often characterised by increased resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Since drought and pathogen attack are the main threats to apple cultivation, obtaining new sources of resistance is an important issue for apple breeding. The newly obtained autotetraploid clones of apple cv. ‘Redchief’ showed superior resistance to fire blight. The aim of the presented research was the in-depth phenotypic characterisation of ‘Redchief’ tetraploids and assessment of their response to drought at the physiological and genetic level. The growth of own-rooted five-year-old trees of ‘Redchief’ tetraploids was poor compared with diploids; all growth parameters—the number and length of current season shoots, the total length of current season shoots per tree and the cross-section area of the trunk—were reduced in tetraploid clones. Grafting on M9 rootstock improved the growth characteristics of ‘Redchief’ tetraploids. Compared with diploid plants, the leaves of tetraploids were thicker, with altered shape, higher chlorophyll content, and larger stomata, but the stomatal density decreased. The leaf anatomical structure of tetraploids was changed, the adaxial and abaxial epidermis and both types of mesophyll were significantly thicker than in diploids. Moreover, the pollen grains of tetraploids were larger, but their viability and germination were reduced. Under conditions of limited water supply, the reduction in growth parameters was smaller and the physiological parameters were higher in the ‘Redchief’ tetraploid clone 4x-25 than in diploid plants. The expression of APX gene was higher in tetraploids than in diploids 15 days after drought stress induction. The results suggest the enhanced drought tolerance of the studied ‘Redchief’ autotetraploid clone compared with its diploid counterpart.

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 303
Author(s):  
Sungeun Lim ◽  
Jongyun Kim

Different light qualities affect plant growth and physiological responses, including stomatal openings. However, most researchers have focused on stomatal responses to red and blue light only, and the direct measurement of evapotranspiration has not been examined. Therefore, we quantified the evapotranspiration of sweet basil under various red (R), green (G), and blue (B) combinations using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and investigated its stomatal responses. Seedlings were subjected to five different spectral treatments for two weeks at a photosynthetic photon flux density of 200 µmol m−2 s−1. The ratios of the RGB light intensities were as follows: R 100% (R100), R:G = 75:25 (R75G25), R:B = 75:25 (R75B25), R:G:B = 60:20:20 (R60G20B20), and R:G:B = 31:42:27 (R31G42B27). During the experiment, the evapotranspiration of the plants was measured using load cells. Although there were no significant differences in growth parameters among the treatments, the photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance were higher in plants grown under blue LEDs (R75B25, R60G20B20, and R31G42B27) than in the R100 treatment. The amount of water used was different among the treatments (663.5, 726.5, 728.7, 778.0, and 782.1 mL for the R100, R75G25, R60G20B20, R75B25, and R31G42B27 treatments, respectively). The stomatal density was correlated with the blue light intensity (p = 0.0024) and with the combined intensity of green and blue light (p = 0.0029); therefore, green light was considered to promote the stomatal development of plants together with blue light. Overall, different light qualities affected the water use of plants by regulating stomatal conductance, including changes in stomatal density.


2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (19) ◽  
pp. 6092-6106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping-Xia Zhao ◽  
Zi-Qing Miao ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Si-Yan Chen ◽  
Qian-Qian Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Drought is one of the most important environmental factors limiting plant growth and productivity. The molecular mechanisms underlying plant drought resistance are complex and not yet fully understood. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis MADS-box transcription factor AGL16 acts as a negative regulator in drought resistance by regulating stomatal density and movement. Loss-of-AGL16 mutants were more resistant to drought stress and had higher relative water content, which was attributed to lower leaf stomatal density and more sensitive stomatal closure due to higher leaf ABA levels compared with the wild type. AGL16-overexpressing lines displayed the opposite phenotypes. AGL16 is preferentially expressed in guard cells and down-regulated in response to drought stress. The expression of CYP707A3 and AAO3 in ABA metabolism and SDD1 in stomatal development was altered in agl16 and overexpression lines, making them potential targets of AGL16. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, transient transactivation, yeast one-hybrid, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we demonstrated that AGL16 was able to bind the CArG motifs in the promoters of the CYP707A3, AAO3, and SDD1 and regulate their transcription, leading to altered leaf stomatal density and ABA levels. Taking our findings together, AGL16 acts as a negative regulator of drought resistance by modulating leaf stomatal density and ABA accumulation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 846-853
Author(s):  
Fikret YAŞAR ◽  
Özlem ÜZAL

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between the messenger molecule Nitric oxide (NO) and antioxidative enzyme (SOD: Superoxide Dismutase; CAT: Catalase; APX: Ascorbate Peroxidase) activities in some metabolic changes that occur under the effect of drought stress in plants, to determine the possible roles of Nitric Oxide and to obtain complementary information. The experiment conducted in a controlled environment, and plant were cultured in containers containing Hoagland nutrient solution. For drought stress application, 10% Polyethylene Glycol (PEG 6000) was added to the nutrient solution, which is equivalent to -0.40 MPa osmotic potential. Before the drought stress is applied, pepper seedlings of Demre cv were pre-treated with different doses of Sodium Nitroprusside (SNP) and Carboxy-PTIO (potassium salt) (cPTIO) (SNP 0.01, SNP 1, SNP 100 and SNP 0.01 + cPTIO, SNP + cPTIO, SNP 100+ cPTIO). On the 10th day of the drought application, the growth parameters of the plants; the plant fresh weights and their Antioxidative Enzyme Activities (SOD, CAT, APX) were determined. In terms of plant growth parameters, both plant growth and antioxidant anzyme activities of plants pretreated with 0.01 and 1 doses of SNP were lower than the high dose of SNP and the PEG application without pretreatment. The reason for the low enzyme activities in these applications can be attributed to factors such as the excess accumulation of organic acids such as proline in the cells of the plants and the decrease in H2O2 and O-2 levels in the presence of SNP.


Author(s):  
Camilla Reis Augusto da Silva ◽  
Marcelo Dos Santos Silva ◽  
Léa Maria Dos Santos Lopes Ferreira ◽  
Kelly Regina Batista Leite ◽  
Lazaro Benedito da Silva

The basis of differentiation between sun and shade leaves is related to different light intensities. In order to understand the adaptability of the leaves of Rhizophora mangle L., associated with different lighting conditions, leaves were collected from the upper peripheral six individuals (sun leaves) and the lower region of the same internal (shade leaves). The variables analyzed leaf thickness, palisade parenchyma, adaxial and abaxial epidermis, adaxial and abaxial cuticle, stomatal density and index. Measurements were made ??on microscope equipped with ocular micrometer. Sun leaves were lower and with more xeromorphic characteristics, such as increased thickness of the cuticle and the adaxial and abaxial epidermis. The palisade parenchyma and limbus showed up thicker than shade leaves, with no significant difference between the cuticle of the abaxial surface. It was also observed a higher frequency of stomata per mm², an average of 70/mm², while shade leaves showed 47/mm², with no differences between length and width. Differences between the sun leaves and shade leaves indicate adaptive capacity of this species to remain active at different light conditions.


Author(s):  
Yang Xiang ◽  
Xiujuan Sun ◽  
Xiangli Bian ◽  
Tianhui Wei ◽  
Tong Han ◽  
...  

Abstract Drought stress severely limits the growth, development, and productivity of crops, and therefore understanding the mechanisms by which plants respond to drought is crucial. In this study, we cloned a maize NAC transcription factor, ZmNAC49, and identified its function in response to drought stress. We found that ZmNAC49 is localized in the nucleus and has transcriptional activation activity. ZmNAC49 expression is rapidly and strongly induced by drought stress, and overexpression enhances stress tolerance in maize. Overexpression also significant decreases the transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and stomatal density in maize. Detailed study showed that ZmNAC49 overexpression affects the expression of genes related to stomatal development, namely ZmTMM, ZmSDD1, ZmMUTE, and ZmFAMA. In addition, we found that ZmNAC49 can directly bind to the promoter of ZmMUTE and suppress its expression. Taken together, our results show that the transcription factor ZmNAC49 represses ZmMUTE expression, reduces stomatal density, and thereby enhances drought tolerance in maize.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. 4471
Author(s):  
Didar Rahim ◽  
Petr Kalousek ◽  
Nawroz Tahir ◽  
Tomáš Vyhnánek ◽  
Petr Tarkowski ◽  
...  

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is productively affected by different environmental factors, including biotic and abiotic stress. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the genetic distinction among Kurdish rice genotypes using the simple sequence repeats (SSRs) molecular markers and to perform in vitro tests to characterize the drought tolerance of six local rice genotypes. The polymorphic information content (PIC) varied from 0.38 to 0.84 with an average of 0.56. The genetic distance ranged from 0.33 to 0.88. Drought stress had a significant impact (p ≤ 0.05) on callus growth parameters. Enzymatic antioxidant systems were predicted and exhibited a significant variation. The findings revealed that proline levels increase in proportion to polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentrations. Kalar and Gwll Swr genotypes showed the worst performances in phenotypic and biochemical traits, while Choman and Shawre exhibited the best phenotypic and biochemical performances. A positive and substantial relationship between callus fresh weight (CFW) and callus dry weight (CDW) was found under stressful and optimized conditions. Callus induction (CI) was positively and significantly associated with the catalase activity (CAT) in all stressed treatments. Based on the results for callus growth and the biochemical parameters under stress conditions, a remarkable genotype distinction, based on the tolerance reaction, was noted as follows: PEG resistant > susceptible, Choman > Shawre > White Bazyan > Red Bazyan > Gwll Swr > Kalar. The CI and CAT characteristics were considered as reliable predictors of drought tolerance in rice genotypes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 107 (4) ◽  
pp. 444-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Teshome Lopisso ◽  
Jessica Knüfer ◽  
Birger Koopmann ◽  
Andreas von Tiedemann

Verticillium longisporum is a host-specific vascular pathogen of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) that causes economic crop losses by impairing plant growth and inducing premature senescence. This study investigates whether plant damage through Verticillium stem striping is due to impaired plant water relations, whether V. longisporum affects responses of a susceptible B. napus variety to drought stress, and whether drought stress, in turn, affects plant responses to V. longisporum. Two-factorial experiments on a susceptible cultivar of B. napus infected or noninfected with V. longisporum and exposed to three watering levels (30, 60, and 100% field capacity) revealed that drought stress and V. longisporum impaired plant growth by entirely different mechanisms. Although both stresses similarly affected plant growth parameters (plant height, hypocotyl diameter, and shoot and root dry matter), infection of B. napus with V. longisporum did not affect any drought-related physiological or molecular genetic plant parameters, including transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis rate, water use efficiency, relative leaf water content, leaf proline content, or the expression of drought-responsive genes. Thus, this study provides comprehensive physiological and molecular genetic evidence explaining the lack of wilt symptoms in B. napus infected with V. longisporum. Likewise, drought tolerance of B. napus was unaffected by V. longisporum, as was the level of disease by drought conditions, thus excluding a concerted action of both stresses in the field. Although it is evident that drought and vascular infection with V. longisporum impair plant growth by different mechanisms, it remains to be determined by which other factors V. longisporum causes crop loss.


Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1552
Author(s):  
Muhammad Arslan Ahmad ◽  
Rabia Javed ◽  
Muhammad Adeel ◽  
Muhammad Rizwan ◽  
Yuesuo Yang

This study addresses the favourable effects of drought stress imposed by polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 on the micropropagated shoots of Stevia rebaudiana. Various concentrations, i.e., 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4% of PEG 6000 were applied to the nodal shoot explants for four weeks, and the influence produced on shoots growth parameters, bioactive steviol glycosides (rebaudioside A and stevioside), and nonenzymatic antioxidant activities (total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total reducing power (TRP) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH)-free radical scavenging activity (FRSA)) was elucidated. The significantly highest yield (92.4% direct shoot organogenesis) and secondary metabolites (2.94% Reb A, 2.52% ST, 95.3% DPPH-FRSA, 15.0% TPC, 13.0 µg/mg TFC, 22.3 µg/mg TAC, and 19.8 µg/mg TRP) production in response to abiotic stress elicitors was obtained in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium treatment provided with 4% of PEG 6000. The overall trend was significant enhancement of growth dynamics and pharmaceutical compounds from control to 4% of PEG 6000 concentration as a defensive response against reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in excess by water deficit. This is a very promising study to be employed in bioreactors to get markedly enhanced content of compounds of medicinal importance in the pharmaceutical market.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 2541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Nadeem ◽  
Jiajia Li ◽  
Muhammad Yahya ◽  
Alam Sher ◽  
Chuanxi Ma ◽  
...  

Climate change, food shortage, water scarcity, and population growth are some of the threatening challenges being faced in today’s world. Drought stress (DS) poses a constant challenge for agricultural crops and has been considered a severe constraint for global agricultural productivity; its intensity and severity are predicted to increase in the near future. Legumes demonstrate high sensitivity to DS, especially at vegetative and reproductive stages. They are mostly grown in the dry areas and are moderately drought tolerant, but severe DS leads to remarkable production losses. The most prominent effects of DS are reduced germination, stunted growth, serious damage to the photosynthetic apparatus, decrease in net photosynthesis, and a reduction in nutrient uptake. To curb the catastrophic effect of DS in legumes, it is imperative to understand its effects, mechanisms, and the agronomic and genetic basis of drought for sustainable management. This review highlights the impact of DS on legumes, mechanisms, and proposes appropriate management approaches to alleviate the severity of water stress. In our discussion, we outline the influence of water stress on physiological aspects (such as germination, photosynthesis, water and nutrient uptake), growth parameters and yield. Additionally, mechanisms, various management strategies, for instance, agronomic practices (planting time and geometry, nutrient management), plant growth-promoting Rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculation, quantitative trait loci (QTLs), functional genomics and advanced strategies (CRISPR-Cas9) are also critically discussed. We propose that the integration of several approaches such as agronomic and biotechnological strategies as well as advanced genome editing tools is needed to develop drought-tolerant legume cultivars.


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