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Heat stress is one of the major limiting factors for cool-season perennial grasses in many regions. As a consequence of climate change and global warming, heat stress may have increasingly negative impact on crop growth and persistence. Plants have
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) responds to heat stress with a shift in partitioning from tubers to shoots. Enzymes responsible for sucrolysis previously have been used as indicators of sink strength and are likely involved in controlling flow of carbon into developing organs. Changes in activity of enzymes involved in sucrose metabolism were investigated in shoots of two potato cultivars that previously were characterized as susceptible and tolerant to heat stress. Enzyme activity of sucrose synthase (SS) and invertases was determined for mature leaves, young leaves, and stems of plants adapted to 21/19 °C, or after transferring plants to 29/27 °C for 3 days. High temperatures resulted in a nonsignificant increase in activities of SS, acid, and neutral invertase in young growing leaves but not in stems or mature leaves. The combined activity of the two invertases was ≈40 times higher than SS activity in young leaves. There was no temperature genotype interaction with regard to these enzymes in the tissues investigated. A previously reported increase in activity of sucrose-phosphate synthase in mature leaves of plants subjected to high temperature was reversed after these plants were returned to a normal growing temperature.
Heat stress is a major abiotic factor limiting growth of temperate plant species in many areas during summer months and may become a threat as global warming occurs [ Fry and Huang, 2004 ; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2007
on the effect of fungal endophyte infection on the responses of the host grass to sustained heat stress conditions in any species. In addition, little is known of endophyte effects on the combination of drought and heat stress, which often occurs
Heat stress is detrimental to plant growth and productivity in most plants, especially in cool-season species. Plant adaptation to heat stress involves profound changes in metabolic, physiological, and molecular processes ( Wahid et al., 2007
The effect of high temperature on abscission of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) flowers and pods was studied under growth chamber and greenhouse conditions. Experiments investigated stages at which flowers are sensitive to heat stress, the period when reproductive structures abscise, and sensitivity of male and female flower parts to heat stress. Heat treatments (2 days at 35C, 10 hours per day) were applied through flower ontogeny, from 8 days before anthesis until anthesis. The flower bud stages were defined by correlating the pedicel length with days to reach anthesis. The prefertilization period showing highest sensitivity to heat stress extended from ≈ 6 days before anthesis to anthesis. We found that 82% of heat-stressed structures abscised as small pods (< 2 cm in length), even when the stress was applied at various flower bud stages. Reciprocal crosses made with pollen from heated plants or on heat-treated flowers indicated that pollen was more affected by heat stress than by female structures.
Nine heat-tolerant tomato [Lycopersicon esculentum (Mill.)] breeding lines, four heat-tolerant cultivars, and four heat-sensitive cultivars were evaluated in the greenhouse under high temperature (39C day/28C night) and in the field. Criteria for heat tolerance included flowering, fruit set, yield, fruit quality, and seed production. Under high-temperature conditions, the group of heat-tolerant lines, the heat-tolerant cultivars, and the heat-sensitive cultivars produced, respectively, the following per plant: flowers, 186, 94, and 55; fruit set 70%, 52%, and 30%; yield, 410, 173, and 11 g; and normal mature fruit, 72%, 37%, and 7%. Yields of heat-tolerant lines under high temperature in the greenhouse ranged from 118% to 31% of their respective yields in the field. Yields of heat-tolerant cultivars were 62% of those in the field. In contrast, yields of heat-sensitive cultivars under high temperature were < 1% of their respective yields in the field. High temperature induced flower abscission, reduced fruit set and yield, and increased the incidence of abnormalities. Major fruit abnormalities with high temperatures included cracks, blossomed rot, watery tissue, and small, immature fruits. Production of viable seeds under the high-temperature regime was severely reduced or totally inhibited regardless of the heat-tolerance level exhibited by the line or cultivar. The failure of heat-sensitive and most heat-tolerant cultivars or lines to produce viable seeds under such a high temperature suggests that a lower level of heat stress than that applied in these experiments could allow the production of enough seeds to test the relationship between heat tolerance in a genotype and its ability to produce viable seeds under high temperature. The results indicate that certain lines have high tolerance to heat and, therefore, could provide valuable sources of plant material for physiological studies to establish the physiological and molecular bases of heat tolerance. Some of the heat-tolerant lines might also serve as excellent germplasm sources in breeding heat-tolerant tomato cultivars.
Understanding physiological factors that may confer heat tolerance would facilitate breeding for improvement of summer turf quality. The objective of this study was to investigate whether carbohydrate availability contributes to changes in turf quality and root mortality during heat stress in two creeping bentgrass [Agrostis stolonifera L. var. palustris (Huds.) Farw. (syn. A. palustris Huds.)] cultivars, `L-93' and `Penncross', that contrast in heat tolerance. Grasses were grown at 14-hour days and 11-hour nights of 22/16 °C (control) and 35/25 °C (heat stress) for 56 days in growth chambers. Turf quality decreased while root mortality increased under heat-stress conditions for both cultivars, but to a greater extent for `Penncross' than `L-93'. The concentrations of total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC), fructans, starch, glucose, and sucrose in shoots (leaves and stems) and roots decreased at 35/25 °C. The reduction in carbohydrate concentrations of shoots was more pronounced than that of roots. Shoot glucose and sucrose concentrations were more sensitive to heat stress than other carbohydrates. `L-93' maintained significantly higher carbohydrate concentrations, especially glucose and sucrose, than `Penncross' at 35/25 °C. Results suggest that high carbohydrate availability, particularly glucose and sucrose, during heat stress was an important physiological trait associated with heat-stress tolerance in creeping bentgrass.
The acclimation of plants to moderately high temperature plays an important role in inducing plant tolerance to subsequent lethal high temperatures. This study was performed to investigate the effects of heat acclimation and sudden heat stress on protein synthesis and degradation in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.). Plants of the cultivar Penncross were subjected to two temperature regimes in growth chambers: 1) heat acclimation—plants were exposed to a gradual increase in temperatures from 20 to 25, 30, and 35 °C for 7 days at each temperature level before being exposed to 40 °C for 28 days; and 2) sudden heat stress (nonacclimation)—plants were directly exposed to 40 °C for 28 days from 20 °C without acclimation through the gradual increase in temperatures. Heat acclimation increased plant tolerance to subsequent heat stress, as demonstrated by lower electrolyte leakage (relative EL) in leaves of heat-acclimated plants compared to nonacclimated plants at 40 °C. Heat acclimation induced expression of some heat shock proteins (HSPs), 57 and 54 kDa, detected in a salt-soluble form (cystoplasmic proteins), which were not present in unacclimated plants under heat stress. However, HSPs of 23, 36, and 66 kDa were induced by both sudden and gradual exposure to heat stress. In general, total protein content decreased under both heat acclimation and sudden heat stress. Cystoplasmic proteins was more sensitive to increasing temperatures, with a significant decline initiated at 25 °C, while sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-soluble (membrane) protein content did not decrease significantly until temperature was elevated to 30 °C. The results demonstrated that both a gradual increase in temperature and sudden heat stress caused protein degradation and also induced expression of newly synthesized HSPs. Our results suggested that the induction of new HSPs during heat acclimation might be associated with the enhanced thermotolerance of creeping bentgrass, although direct correlation of these two factors is yet to be determined. This study also indicated that protein degradation could be associated with heat injury during either gradual increases in temperature or sudden heat stress.
Cuttings of Dendranthema ×grandiflorum `Paragon' were used as a model system to assess the effects of root heating on disease severity. Roots were exposed to single episodes of heat stress, after which they were inoculated with zoospores of Phytophthora cryptogea Pethyb. & Laff. Root damage resulting from heat stress, or heat stress plus Phytophthora, was quantified 5 to 7 days after treatment. Roots of hydroponically grown plants, immersed for 30 min in aerated, temperature-controlled nutrient solutions, were severely damaged at 45C or above. Relatively little phytophthora root rot developed on inoculated plants exposed to 25 or 35C, but infection was severe in roots heated to 40C. Plants grown in potting mix were exposed to heat stress by plastic-wrapping the containers in which they were growing and placing them in heated water baths until roots achieved desired temperatures for 30 min. This system heated roots more slowly than in the hydroponic experiments, and 45 and 50C were less damaging. The amount of Phytophthora-induced root damage was insignificant in containerized plants heated to 25 or 35C, but was highly significant in those heated to 40C or higher. In field experiments, plants were positioned so their containers were either fulIy exposed to the late afternoon sun or heavily shaded to prevent sun exposure. The root zones of sun-exposed pots heated to 45 to 47C, while those of shaded pots never exceeded 34 to 36C. There was a large, highly significant increase in phytophthora root rot severity in the sun-exposed pots compared to shaded plants. These experiments showed that temperatures of 40C or higher, which commonly occur in container-grown plants exposed to solar radiation, can predispose chrysanthemum roots to severe Phytophthora infection.