The effect of root hairs under drought in open field conditions

Author(s):  
Maria Marin ◽  
Deborah S Feeney ◽  
Lawrie K Brown ◽  
Muhammad Naveed ◽  
Siul Ruiz ◽  
...  

<p>Root hairs represent an attractive target for future crop breeding, to improve resource use efficiency and stress tolerance. Most studies investigating root hairs have focused on plant tolerance to phosphorus deficiency and rhizosheath formation under controlled conditions. However, data on the interplay between root hairs and open-field systems, under contrasting soils and climate conditions, are limited. Although root hairs and rhizosphere are assumed to play a key role in regulating plant water relations, their effect on plant water uptake has been rarely investigated. As such, this study aimed to experimentally elucidate some of the impacts that root hairs have on plant performance under field conditions and water deficit. A field experiment was set up in Scotland for two consecutive years, in 2017 (a typical year) and 2018 (the driest growing season ever recorded at this site), under different soil textures (i.e., clay loam vs. sandy loam). Five barley (Hordeum vulgare) genotypes exhibiting variation in root hair length and density were used in the study. Measurements of root hair density, length and its correlation with rhizosheath weight highlighted trait robustness in the field under variable environmental conditions. Root hairs did not confer a notable advantage to barley under optimal conditions, but under soil water deficit root hairs enhanced plant water status and stress tolerance. This resulted in less negative leaf water potential and lower leaf abscisic acid concentration, while promoting shoot phosphorus accumulation. Specifically, minimum leaf water potential differed significantly (P = 0.021) between the wild type (-1.43 MPa) and its hairless mutant (-1.76 MPa) grown in clay loam, with the mutant exhibiting greater water stress. In agreement with leaf water potential measurements, at the peak of water stress, leaf abscisic acid concentration was significantly (P = 0.023) greater for the hairless mutant (394 ng g<sup>-1</sup>) than the wild type (250 ng g<sup>-1</sup>) grown in clay loam soil. Under water deficit conditions, in clay loam soil, shoot phosphorus accumulation in the wild type (2.49 mg P shoot<sup>-1</sup>) was over twice that in the hairless mutant (1.10 mg P shoot<sup>-1</sup>). Furthermore, the presence of root hairs did not decrease yield under optimal conditions, while root hairs enhanced yield stability under drought. While yield of the hairless mutant significantly (P = 0.012) decreased from 2017 to 2018 in both clay (-26%) and sandy (-33%) loam soils, no significant differences were found between years in the yield of the wild type. Therefore, selecting for beneficial root hair traits can enhance yield stability without diminishing yield potential, overcoming the breeder’s dilemma of trying to simultaneously enhance both productivity and resilience. To our knowledge, the present findings provide the first evidence of the effect of root hairs under drought in open field conditions (i.e., real agricultural system). Therefore, along with the well-recognized role for P uptake, maintenance or enhancement of root hairs can represent a key trait for breeding the next generation of crops for improved drought tolerance in relation to climate change.</p>

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Köhler ◽  
Daniel-Sebastian Moser ◽  
Ákos Botezatu ◽  
Jana Kholova ◽  
Andrea Carminati ◽  
...  

<p>Understanding the mechanisms that control water use of plants exposed to soil drying and increasing vapour pressure deficit (VPD) has important implications for crop growth in semi-arid regions with low-input agriculture. In particular, the effect of belowground processes on transpiration and stomatal regulation remains controversial. Objective of this study was to understand the role of soil properties and root hairs (as an example of rhizosphere traits) on transpiration and leaf water potential. We hypothesize that root hairs facilitate the water extraction from drying soils, particularly at high VPD, and that this impacts the relation between transpiration rate and leaf water potential. We further hypothesize that stomatal regulation attenuates the drop in leaf water potential when the soil water flow cannot match the transpiration demand and thus emphasizes the importance of root hairs on transpiration rates during soil drying.</p><p>We compared maize (Zea mays L.) with (wild-type) and without (mutant) root hairs in three different soil substrates (Alfisol, Vertisol and Sandy Soil). Transpiration and leaf water potential were monitored at varying VPD and soil moistures during soil drying. The hairless mutant showed a higher transpiration in wet soils but declined transpiration at greater water contents as compared to the wild-type. Under well-watered conditions, both genotypes had the highest transpiration rates in Vertisol. In Vertisol, both genotypes closed their stomata at relatively higher water content levels. The relation between transpiration and soil moisture strongly varied between soils. No obvious differences between the genotypes were visible in the relationship between leaf water potential and transpiration. This is explained by the prompt closure of stomata. This study provides experimental evidence of the strong link between stomatal regulation and soil-root hydraulic properties.</p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. K. V. CARR

SUMMARYThe results of research on the water relations and irrigation needs of coconut are collated and summarized in an attempt to link fundamental studies on crop physiology to drought mitigation and irrigation practices. Background information on the centres of origin and production of coconut and on crop development processes is followed by reviews of plant water relations, crop water use and water productivity, including drought mitigation. The majority of the recent research published in the international literature has been conducted in Brazil, Kerala (South India) and Sri Lanka, and by CIRAD (France) in association with local research organizations in a number of countries, including the Ivory Coast. The unique vegetative structure of the palm (stem and leaves) together with the long interval between flower initiation and the harvesting of the mature fruit (44 months) mean that causal links between environmental factors (especially water) are difficult to establish. The stomata play an important role in controlling water loss, whilst the leaf water potential is a sensitive indicator of plant water status. Both stomatal conductance and leaf water potential are negatively correlated with the saturation deficit of the air. Although roots extend to depths >2 m and laterally >3 m, the density of roots is greatest in the top 0–1.0 m soil, and laterally within 1.0–1.5 m of the trunk. In general, dwarf cultivars are more susceptible to drought than tall ones. Methods of screening for drought tolerance based on physiological traits have been proposed. The best estimates of the actual water use (ETc) of mature palms indicate representative rates of about 3 mm d−1. Reported values for the crop coefficient (Kc) are variable but suggest that 0.7 is a reasonable estimate. Although the sensitivity of coconut to drought is well recognized, there is a limited amount of reliable data on actual yield responses to irrigation although annual yield increases (50%) of 20–40 nuts palm−1 (4–12 kg copra, cultivar dependent) have been reported. These are only realized in the third and subsequent years after the introduction of irrigation applied at a rate equivalent to about 2 mm d−1 (or 100 l palm−1 d−1) at intervals of up to one week. Irrigation increases female flower production and reduces premature nut fall. Basin irrigation, micro-sprinklers and drip irrigation are all suitable methods of applying water. Recommended methods of drought mitigation include the burial of husks in trenches adjacent to the plant, mulching and the application of common salt (chloride ions). An international approach to addressing the need for more information on water productivity is recommended.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-94
Author(s):  
Leila Romdhane ◽  
Nicola Dal Ferro ◽  
Amor Slama ◽  
Leila Radhouane

Rising temperatures and increasing water scarcity, which are already important issues, are expected to intensify in the near future due to global warming. Optimizing irrigation in agriculture is a challenge. Understanding the response of crop development stages to water deficit stress provides an opportunity for optimizing irrigation. Here we studied the response of two barley varieties (Rihane, Martin), to water deficit stress at three development stages (tillering, stem elongation, and heading) by measuring water status and grain yield components in a field experiment in Tunisia. The three stages were selected due to their importance in crop growth and grain development. Water deficit stress was initiated by withholding water for 21 days at the three stages with subsequent re-watering. Water deficit led to a progressive decrease in leaf water potential. In both varieties, heading was the stage most sensitive to water deficit. Leaf water potential measurements indicated that water deficit stress was more severe during heading, which to some extent may have influenced the comparison between growth stages. During heading, the number of ears per plant and weight of a thousand grains were reduced by more than 70% and 50%, respectively compared with stress at tillering. Comparison of yield components showed differences between the two barley varieties only when the water deficit was produced during the tillering stage.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-432
Author(s):  
Matthew Lanning ◽  
Lixin Wang ◽  
Kimberly A Novick

Abstract Accurate understanding of plant responses to water stress is increasingly important for quantification of ecosystem carbon and water cycling under future climates. Plant water-use strategies can be characterized across a spectrum of water stress responses, from tight stomatal control (isohydric) to distinctly less stomatal control (anisohydric). A recent and popular classification method of plant water-use strategies utilizes the regression slope of predawn and midday leaf water potentials, σ, to reflect the coupling of soil water availability (predawn leaf water potential) and stomatal dynamics (daily decline in leaf water potential). This type of classification is important in predicting ecosystem drought response and resiliency. However, it fails to explain the relative stomatal responses to drought of Acer sacharrum and Quercus alba, improperly ranking them on the spectrum of isohydricity. We argue this inconsistency may be in part due to the cuticular conductance of different species. We used empirical and modeling evidence to show that plants with more permeable cuticles are more often classified as anisohydric; the σ values of those species were very well correlated with measured cuticular permeance. Furthermore, we found that midday leaf water potential in species with more permeable cuticles would continue to decrease as soils become drier, but not in those with less permeable cuticles. We devised a diagnostic parameter, Γ, to identify circumstances where the impact of cuticular conductance could cause species misclassification. The results suggest that cuticular conductance needs to be considered to better understand plant water-use strategies and to accurately predict forest responses to water stress under future climate scenarios.


1991 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 747 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Tangpremsri ◽  
S Fukai ◽  
KS Fischer ◽  
RG Henzell

Development of genotypic variation in osmotic adjustment was examined in two glasshouse experiments using two sets of sorghum material. In the first experiment, 47 S2 lines extracted from a randomly mated population were used, whereas in the other, inbred parents and their 15 hybrids were compared. In both experiments, water deficit was induced in two periods, one before anthesis and the other after anthesis for most genotypes. In both experiments osmotic potential at the beginning of the first drying period was similar among genotypes and therefore osmotic potential obtained under water deficit was used for the comparison of osmotic adjustment among genotypes. In the first drying period of both experiments, when stress was milder, about 40% of the variation in osmotic adjustment was accounted for by difference in leaf water potential. When the effect of water potential was removed by covariance analysis, there was significant genotypic variation in osmotic adjustment in the second experiment, but not in the first experiment. On the other hand, in the second drying period, when stress was more severe, the effect of leaf water potential on osmotic adjustment was small. There was significant genotypic variation in osmotic adjustment in both experiments after the water potential effect was removed by covariance analysis. Osmotic adjustment in the second drying period was also negatively correlated with grain sink/source ratio (number of grains/leaf area) in the first set of materials. The comparison of osmotic adjustment among hybrids and their parents showed that, in this particular set of genotypes, the female parents were more important than the male in determining osmotic adjustment of the hybrids. The genotypic variation was associated with performance under water deficit in the field. It is concluded that there is considerable genotypic variation in osmotic adjustment in the genetic material examined. Osmotic adjustment is, however, correlated with water potential and grain sink/source balance, and hence the selection for osmotic adjustment needs to ensure that high value is not due simply to low water potential or small head size.


OENO One ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Xavier Choné ◽  
Olivier Trégoat ◽  
Cornelis Van Leeuwen ◽  
Denis Dubourdieu

<p style="text-align: justify;">Vine water status is an important factor in grape quality. High tannin and anthocyanin content in red grape berries are related to moderate vine water deficits. Hence, a simple and sensitive indicator is required to determine vine water status and especially water constraint. Pressure chamber allows a quick and easy to practice determination of water status in the vineyard. Three applications of pressure chamber are known: predawn leaf water potential (ΨB), leaf water potential (ΨF) and stem water potential (ΨT). Only ΨB and ΨF are widely used on vines. In this survey ΨB, ΨF, ΨT and transpiration flow were measured on mature leaves to determine non-irrigated vine water status in field grown vines during the growing season. In California as well as in France, stem Ψ was the most discriminating indicator for both moderate and severe water deficits. In every plot surveyed ΨT was much better correlated to leaf transpiration than ΨF. Moreover, ΨT revealed nascent water deficit earlier than ΨB did. Among the three application of pressure chamber, ΨT was the only one to indicate short term water deficit after a rainfall. Hence, ΨT appears to be a useful indicator for grapevine management in both non-irrigated and irrigated vineyards.</p>


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Ai Nio ◽  
Audry Agatha Lenak

Abstrak Penggulungan daun merupakan salah satu bentuk resistensi terhadap kekeringan atau lebih tepatnya mekanisme menghindari kekeringan pada tumbuhan monokotil. Mekanisme ini terjadi dengan cara menurunkan laju evapotranspirasi atau dengan meningkatkan absorpsi air pada tanah kering untuk mempertahankan potensial air daun tetap tinggi. Proses penggulungan daun ini berkaitan erat dengan peranan sel kipas. Pada saat kekurangan air, jumlah dan ukuran sel kipas meningkat, sehingga daun akan menggulung. Tingkat penggulungan daun dapat ditentukan secara visual berdasarkan sistem standar evaluasi untuk tanaman padi dengan memberi skor 1-9. Rendahnya tingkat penggulungan daun berkorelasi positif dengan meningkatnya potensial air daun. Kata kunci: menghindari kekeringan, penggulungan daun Abstract Leaf rolling is one mechanism of drought resistance, i.e. drought avoidance. This mechanism was resulted from decreasing evapotranspiration rate or increasing water absorption in the dry soil to maintain high leaf water potential. The process of leaf rolling in monocotyledon was closely related to the activity of bulliform cells. The number and size of bulliform cells were increased under water deficit, so that leaf rolling occurred. Leaf rolling score (1-9) could be visually determined based on the system of standard evaluation in rice. The low leaf rolling score was positively correlated with high leaf water potential. Keywords: drought avoidance, leaf rolling


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document