Search Results
Photosynthetic rates (A) in celery-(Apium graveolens L.) and other polyol-synthesizers are sometimes high for C, species. In celery such rates have been related to a low CO2 compensation point typical of C4 and C3-C4 intermediate spp, although other data show celery photosynthesis as typically C3 Therefore, celery gas exchange was here reanalyzed, and while A was high (CO2 assimilation rates were 21.2 and 27.6 μ mol m-2s-1, average and maximum, photosynthesis was otherwise C,: CO, comp pt of 3.5-5.0 Pa, carboxylation efficiency of 0.99 μmol CO2m-2s-1Pa-1, light comp pt of 8-36 μ mol photon m-1s-1, optimum temp of 22-27°C for Amax. High A may relate to a capacity to synthesize both mannitol and sucrose. 14C pulse-chase studies, with different A obtained by imposing light gradients across opposite leaflets, showed 1-10% increases in mannitoll sucrose labelling. Higher A may reflect carbon partitioning into mannitol, agreeing with a hypothesis that polyol synthesis effectively recycles reductant in the cytosol.
Instrumentation to measure soil respiration is currently readily available. However, the relationship between soil respiration and root activity or root mass is not known. Herein we report on preliminary result using a 13CO2 pulse to the foliage to determine if 13C respiration can be related to either root activity or root mass. An experiment was performed in the field on a 5-year-old apple tree (cv. Jonagold on M7). The tree canopy was enclosed in a Mylar® balloon and 2.1 g 13CO2 were pulsed in the balloon for 1 hr. After the pulse, air emitted by the soil and selected roots was collected every 6 hr for 8 days, by bubbling it in 2 M NaOH. 13C/12C ratios were measured with the mass spectrometer. The emission of 13CO2 from the roots gradually increased after the pulse reaching a peak after 100 hr. The emission trend was not linear, but it seemed related to soil temperature. Leaves and fruit were also collected daily. 13C content in leaves was 1.15% right after the pulse, but it progressively decreased to 1.09% at the end of the experiment. The experiment was then repeated on 12 potted apple trees (cv. Redcort on M7) in greenhouse conditions. Six of them were maintained well-watered, whereas six plants were subjected to a mild water stress, by watering them with half of the volume of water used for well-watered plants. After the two soil moisture levels were achieved, the tree canopies of all the 12 trees were pulsed. Leaves, stems, and roots were ground and run in the mass spectrometer. The results of root emission rate were found to be similar to the field experiment. Results also indicated that, in our experiment, stress did not affect root respiration rate. Specific details of the physiology data will be presented.
Low root-zone temperature is one of the potential causes of low rate of plant nutrient uptake in spring. In this period, fruit trees are frequently supplied with nitrogen and a delay in root absorption could lead to an increase of nitrate leaching. In this study we assessed the effect of low root temperature on kinetic of nitrogen absorption of apple trees. One-year-old rooted cuttings of `Mark' apple rootstocks were subjected to two root temperature: 8 ± 1°C (LT) and 23 ± 1°C (HT). Four days after treatment imposition, the potted plants were supplied with 20 mg of N as NH4N03, enriched with 10 atom% of 15N. One, 2, 4, and 8 days after fertilization, tree root system was inserted into a Sholander bomb where a 0.325-Mpa pressure was applied to collect the xylem sap from the stem cross section. The sap exudation rate was always depressed by low root temperature. Nitrogen flow through the xylem vessel was highest in HT plants the day after fertilization (10-fold higher than LT), then decreased constantly. In LT plants, N flow was low the first and the second day after fertilization then reached the maximum 4 days after fertilization, when it was significantly higher than in HT plants. The amount of fertilizer-N found in leaves reflected the different movement rate of N observed in the two treatments. In HT trees fertilizer-N reached a plateau 2 days after fertilization, while in LT it linearly increased over time. This results suggest that root zone temperature of 8°C, although causes a delay (2–4 days) in nitrogen uptake, does not represent a serious limiting factor for N nutrition of tested apple trees.
Chlorophyll fluorescence over the course of stem cutting propagation was examined in 10 cultivars of Taxus ×media (Taxus baccata L. × T. cuspidata Sieb. & Zucc.), including `Brownii', `Dark Green Pyramidalis', `Dark Green Spreader', `Densiformis', `Densiformis Gem', `Hicksii', `L.C. Bobbink', `Runyan', `Tauntoni', and `Wardii'. The fluorescence value measured was the ratio of variable over maximum chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm). This value reflects the maximum dark-adapted photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) reaction centers involved in photosynthesis and is an indirect measure of plant stress. The objective of this study was to examine Fv/Fm as a method for stock plant selection and for monitoring rooting progress of various cultivars. Fv/Fm varied significantly (P ≤ 0.05) among cultivars, initially and over time. However, there was significant overlap among some cultivars. The Fv/Fm decreased dramatically during cold storage, but usually returned to original levels after several weeks in the propagation beds. This appeared to be a reflection of the reduction of water stress as the cuttings formed roots. Initial stock plant Fv/Fm was not correlated (P ≤ 0.05) with rooting percentage, root number, root dry weight, or root length, indicating that Fv/Fm is not a reliable indicator of stock plant rooting potential. Visual assessment is just as reliable.
To simulate soil sickness, 1-year-old trees of `Golden Delicious' (grafted on M9 and M106) were grown in rhizotrons (1 × 1-m and 0.5-m depth) with different plant residues content, at Ravenna, Italy. Sandy loam soil was used as a substrate. Fine-grounded wood from apple and peach residues (6 kg per rhizotron) was mixed to the substrate and considered as main treatment. Mature compost (1% and 2.5% in volume) was added or not to the substrate with the organic residues and considered as subtreatment. The application of residues was localized either near the soil surface (0–25 cm) or deeper in the soil profile (25–50 cm). In each rhizotron, four trees on the same rootstock were planted and each soil treatment was replicated twice. After 2 years, the roots were accurately excavated (washing off the soil with water), and growth was measured. The presence of apple residues near the soil surface induced a 5% to 20% reduction of shoot growth. The reduction per plant dry weight was higher when trees were grafted on M106. At root level, the presence of residues increased the root migration in the search for fresh niches, enhancing root crossing and anastomosis. Both these shoot and root conditions are typical of replant diseases symptoms. The localization of apple residues in the lower part of the profile reduced the symptoms and so did the addition of compost. The peach residues did not affect shoot growth when compared to the control, but the shoot-to-root ratio was reduced, indicating a tendency to increase root migration.
The effects of short-term soil flooding on gas exchange characteristics of containerized sour cherry trees (Prunus cerasus L. cv. Montmorency /P. mahaleb L.) were studied under laboratory conditions. Soil flooding reduced net CO2 assimilation (A) within 24 hours. Net CO2 assimilation and residual conductance to CO2(gr′) declined to ≈30% of control values after 5 days of flooding. Effects on stomatal conductance to CO2 (gS) and intercellular CO2 (Ci) were not significant during the 5 days of treatment. Apparent quantum yield (Φ) gradually declined to 52% that of controls during these 5 days. In a second experiment, CO2 response curves suggested that, initially, stomatal and nonstomatal limitations to A were of about equal importance; however, as flooding continued, nonstomatal limitations became dominant.
Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) is known to be the most drought-resistant Mediterranean Pine. This species is widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean region and displays a high intraspecific variability, with respect to its physiological and morphological response to environmental conditions. In this experiment we evaluated the response of Pinus halepensis seedlings to drought. Sixty germinated seeds (accession A6, Shaharia, Israel) were grown in soil for 8 weeks and then transferred to black plexiglass tanks containing half-strength air-sparged Hoagland solution. After 6 weeks of acclimation to hydroponics, the osmotic potential of the solution was lowered by adding polyethylene-glycol (PEG) 8000. Water potential was lowered in 0.2 MPa increments every 4 days, until a final value of –0.8 was reached. The seedlings were then maintained at –0.8 MPa for a further 8 days. Ultrasonic acoustic emissions, pressure–volume (P–V) curves, shoot and root growth, leaf area, xylem diameter, root apex mitotic index and cell length were measured on control and stressed seedlings. Seedlings were then transferred to normal Hoagland solution for 24 hours to simulate rewatering, and P–V curves and ultrasonic emissions measurements were repeated. Results showed that the final root growth is maintained in the stressed seedlings at the same rate as controls, whereas shoot growth was significantly reduced. The leaf area was reduced by stress to 36%, but the xylem diameter only to 10%, leading to a lower leaf area:xylem section ratio in the stressed plants. Ultrasonic emissions in the stressed plants were 365% of the control, and 182%, after rewatering. Specific details of the growth and physiology data are presented.
Apple seedlings (Malus domestica Borkh.) were grown under ambient (370), 700, and 1400 μmol·mol-1 CO2 regimes and artificially damaged by removal of leaf area (0%, 15%, and 30%). Increased CO2 concentration had a highly significant effect on the concentrations of sucrose, sorbitol and phloridzin, however there were no significant interactions between CO2 concentration and leaf damage. As CO2 concentration increased there was an increase in levels of sucrose and phloridzin, whereas sorbitol concentration decreased. These findings are discussed in relation to the carbon nutrient balance hypothesis as well as other hypotheses regarding the production of plant primary and secondary compounds in response to elevated levels of CO2 and mechanical damage and/or herbivory.
`Imperial Gala' apple trees (Malus ×domestica Borkh.) on M.9 EMLA, MM.111, and Mark rootstocks were subjected to two drought-stress and recovery periods in a rainshelter. Water relations, gas-exchange parameters per unit leaf area and per tree, chlorophyll fluorescence, and leaf abscisic acid content were determined during each stress and recovery period. Whole-plant calculated gas exchange best indicated plant response to drought stress, with consistent reductions in CO2 assimilation, transpiration, and leaf conductance. Variable and maximal chlorophyll fluorescence and fluorescence quenching were not as sensitive to stress. Other fluorescence parameters showed little difference. The most consistent decreases due to stress for gas exchange per square meter were in transpiration and leaf conductance, with few differences in CO2 assimilation and fewer for mesophyll conductance, internal CO2 concentration, and water-use efficiency. Leaf water potential was consistently lower during drought stress and returned to control values upon irrigation. Leaf abscisic acid content was higher for drought-stressed trees on M.9 EMLA than control trees during the stress periods but inconsistently different for the other rootstock treatments. Trees on M.9 EMLA were least affected by drought stress, MM.111 was intermediate, and Mark was the most sensitive; these results are consistent with the growth data.
`Imperial Gala' apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) trees, trained to two shoots, on M.9 EMLA, MM.111, and Mark rootstocks were subjected to two drought-stress and recovery periods in a rainshelter. Leaf growth rate, leaf area, leaf emergence, shoot length, and trunk cross-sectional area were measured during each stress and recovery period. Leaf growth rate was reduced during both stress periods but most consistently during the second drought stress. Length of the less-vigorous shoot was reduced most consistently due to drought stress but did not recover upon irrigation. Leaf emergence and trunk cross-sectional area increment were inconsistent in response to stress. Tree growth was reduced by drought stress to the greatest extent for trees on Mark, with MM.111 intermediate and M.9 EMLA least affected. At termination, the plants were separated into roots, current-season shoot growth, previous-season shoot growth, and rootstock, and dry weights were measured. Dry weights confirmed the growth measurements taken during the experiment with a 16%, 27%, and 34% reduction in total plant dry weight for drought-stressed trees on M.9 EMLA, MM.111, and Mark, respectively, compared to corresponding controls. It was concluded that Mark was the most sensitive of the three rootstocks followed by MM.111; M.9 EMLA was the most drought resistant.