Effects of NaCl addition to the growing medium on plant hydraulics and water relations of tomato

Developmental and water deficit-induced changes in hydraulic properties and xylem anatomy of tomato fruit and pedicels

Xylem water transport from the parent plant plays a crucial role in fruit growth, development, and the determination of quality. Attempts have been made to partition the hydraulic resistance of the pathway over the course of development, but no consensus has been reached. Furthermore, the issue has not been addressed in the context of changing plant and fruit water status under water deficit conditions. In this study, we have conducted a rigorous investigation into the developmental changes that occur in the hydraulic properties of tomato fruits and their pedicels under well-irrigated and water deficit conditions, based on hydraulic measurements, fruit rehydration, dye-tracing, light and electron microscopy, and flow modeling. We found that a decline in water transport capacity during development did not occur in the xylem pathway leading up to the fruit, but within the fruit itself, where the effect might reside either inside or outside of the xylem pathway. The developmental pattern of the hydraulic resistance of the xylem pathway was not significantly influenced by water deficit. The changes in xylem flow between the fruit and the parent plant resulting from the reduced driving force under water deficit could explain the reduced accumulation of water in the fruit. This study provides new insights that aid our understanding of xylem water transport in fleshy fruits and its sensitivity to water deficit from a hydraulic perspective.

Diversity and Evolution of Salt Tolerance in the Genus Vigna

Breeding salt tolerant plants is difficult without utilizing a diversity of wild crop relatives. Since the genus Vigna (family Fabaceae) is comprised of many wild relatives adapted to various environmental conditions, we evaluated the salt tolerance of 69 accessions of this genus, including that of wild and domesticated accessions originating from Asia, Africa, Oceania, and South America. We grew plants under 50 mM and 200 mM NaCl for two weeks and then measured the biomass, relative quantum yield of photosystem II, leaf Na+ concentrations, and leaf K+ concentrations. The accessions were clustered into four groups: the most tolerant, tolerant, moderately susceptible, and susceptible. From the most tolerant group, we selected six accessions, all of which were wild accessions adapted to coastal environments, as promising sources of salt tolerance because of their consistently high relative shoot biomass and relative quantum yield. Interestingly, variations in leaf Na+ concentration were observed between the accessions in the most tolerant group, suggesting different mechanisms were responsible for their salt tolerance. Phylogenetic analysis with nuclear DNA sequences revealed that salt tolerance had evolved independently at least four times in the genus Vigna, within a relatively short period. The findings suggested that simple genetic changes in a few genes might have greatly affected salt tolerances. The elucidation of genetic mechanisms of salt tolerances in the selected accessions may contribute to improving the poor salt tolerance in legume crops.

Dynamic control of osmolality and ionic composition of the xylem sap in two mangrove species

• Premise of the study: Xylem sap osmolality and salinity is a critical unresolved issue in plant function with impacts on transport efficiency, pressure gradients, and living cell turgor pressure, especially for halophytes such as mangrove trees.• Methods: We collected successive xylem vessel sap samples from stems and shoots of Avicennia germinans and Laguncularia racemosa using vacuum and pressure extraction and measured their osmolality. Following a series of extractions with the pressure chamber, we depressurized the shoot and pressurized again after various equilibration periods (minutes to hours) to test for dynamic control of osmolality. Transpiration and final sap osmolality were measured in shoots perfused with deionized water or different seawater dilutions.• Key results: For both species, the sap osmolality values of consecutive samples collected by vacuum extraction were stable and matched those of the initial samples extracted with the pressure chamber. Further extraction of samples with the pressure chamber decreased sap osmolality, suggesting reverse osmosis occurred. However, sap osmolalities increased when longer equilibration periods after sap extraction were allowed. Analysis of expressed sap with HPLC indicated a 1:1 relation between measured osmolality and the osmolality of the inorganic ions in the sap (mainly Na⁺, K⁺, and Cl^-), suggesting no contamination by organic compounds. In stems perfused with deionized water, the sap osmolality increased to mimic the native sap osmolality.• Conclusions: Xylem sap osmolality and ionic contents are dynamically adjusted by mangroves and may help modulate turgor pressure, hydraulic conductivity, and water potential, thus being important for mangrove physiology, survival, and distribution.

Coping with drought-induced xylem cavitation: coordination of embolism repair and ionic effects in three Mediterranean evergreens

Embolism repair and ionic effects on xylem hydraulic conductance have been documented in different tree species. However, the diurnal and seasonal patterns of both phenomena and their actual role in plants' responses to drought-induced xylem cavitation have not been thoroughly investigated. This study provides experimental evidence of the ability of three Mediterranean species to maintain hydraulic function under drought stress by coordinating the refilling of xylem conduits and ion-mediated enhancement of stem hydraulic conductance (K stem). Vessel grouping indices and starch content in vessel-associated parenchyma cells were quantified to verify eventual correlations with ionic effects and refilling, respectively. Experiments were performed on stems of Ceratonia siliqua L., Olea europaea L. and Laurus nobilis L. Seasonal, ion-mediated changes in K stem (ΔK stem) and diurnal and/or seasonal embolism repair were recorded for all three species, although with different temporal patterns. Field measurements of leaf specific stem hydraulic conductivity showed that it remained quite constant during the year, despite changes in the levels of embolism. Starch content in vessel-associated parenchyma cells changed on diurnal and seasonal scales in L. nobilis and O. europaea but not in C. siliqua. Values of ΔK stem were significantly correlated with vessel multiple fraction values (the ratio of grouped vessels to total number of vessels). Our data suggest that the regulation of xylem water transport in Mediterranean plants relies on a close integration between xylem refilling and ionic effects. These functional traits apparently play important roles in plants' responses to drought-induced xylem cavitation.