Seasonal patterns of xylem sap pH, xylem abscisic acid concentration, leaf water potential and stomatal conductance of six evergreen and deciduous Australian savanna tree species

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dane S. Thomas ◽  
Derek Eamus
Keyword(s):  
Abscisic Acid ◽  
Stomatal Conductance ◽  
Water Potential ◽  
Leaf Water Potential ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Xylem Sap ◽  
Leaf Water ◽  
Deciduous Species ◽  
Evergreen Species ◽  
Water Potentials

Deciduous trees of Australia’s northern savannas typically have less-negative leaf water potentials than evergreen species and their stomata are more sensitive to soil drought than those of evergreen species. This paper presents the first investigation of the role of xylem sap pH and abscisic acid content in explaining stomatal behaviour of Australian trees in the field. We measured stomatal conductance, leaf-to-air vapour pressure difference (D) and leaf water potential, xylem abscisic acid (ABA) concentration and xylem sap pH of evergreen, semideciduous and fully deciduous tree species in the field over a 15-month period. Measurements were made during both the wet and the dry seasons. Stomata closed in response to increasing D in both evergreen and deciduous species and were equally sensitive to increasing D or declining leaf water potential. Xylem ABA concentration increased with declining leaf water potential in evergreen and semi-deciduous species, but not deciduous species. Similarly, there was an inverse correlation between stomatal conductance and xylem ABA concentration. Xylem sap pH increased as leaf water potential declined from wet to dry season for evergreen and semi-deciduous species but not for deciduous species. Deciduous species had less-negative water potentials and lower xylem ABA concentrations than evergreen species or semi-deciduous species. We conclude that changes in xylem sap pH and ABA content do occur seasonally in the wet–dry tropics of Australia and that these changes influence stomatal conductance, but only in evergreen and semi-deciduous species. Deciduous species do not appear to modulate either of these chemical signals.

scholarly journals Interactions between leaf water potential, stomatal conductance and abscisic acid content of orange trees submitted to drought stress

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 155-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara de Menezes de Assis Gomes ◽  
Ana Maria Magalhães Andrade Lagôa ◽  
Camilo Lázaro Medina ◽  
Eduardo Caruso Machado ◽  
Marcos Antônio Machado
Keyword(s):  
Abscisic Acid ◽  
Water Stress ◽  
Stomatal Conductance ◽  
Water Potential ◽  
Leaf Water Potential ◽  
Acid Content ◽  
Stomatal Closure ◽  
Leaf Water ◽  
Orange Trees ◽  
Abscisic Acid Content

Thirty-month-old 'Pêra' orange trees grafted on 'Rangpur' lemon trees grown in 100 L pots were submitted to water stress by the suspension of irrigation. CO2 assimilation (A), transpiration (E) and stomatal conductance (g s) values declined from the seventh day of stress, although the leaf water potential at 6:00 a.m. (psipd) and at 2:00 p.m. (psi2) began to decline from the fifth day of water deficiency. The CO2 intercellular concentration (Ci) of water-stressed plants increased from the seventh day, reaching a maximum concentration on the day of most severe stress. The carboxylation efficiency, as revealed by the ratio A/Ci was low on this day and did not show the same values of non-stressed plants even after ten days of rewatering. After five days of rewatering only psi pd and psi2 were similar to control plants while A, E and g s were still different. When psi2 decreases, there was a trend for increasing abscisic acid (ABA) concentration in the leaves. Similarly, stomatal conductance was found to decrease as a function of decreasing psi2. ABA accumulation and stomatal closure occurred when psi2 was lower than -1.0 MPa. Water stress in 'Pera´ orange trees increased abscisic acid content with consequent stomatal closure and decreased psi2 values.

Photosynthesis Response of Sunlit and Shade Pepper (Capsicum annuum) Leaves at Different Positions in the Canopy Under Two Water Regimes

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 377 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Alvino ◽  
M Centritto ◽  
FD Lorenzi
Keyword(s):  
Water Potential ◽  
Capsicum Annuum ◽  
Leaf Water Potential ◽  
Co2 Exchange ◽  
Leaf Water ◽  
Predawn Leaf Water Potential ◽  
Water Regimes ◽  
Water Potentials ◽  
Sun And Shade ◽  
Shade Leaves

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants were grown in 1 m2 lysimeters under two different water regimes in order to investigate differences in the spatial arrangements of the leaves and to relate this to daily assimilation rates of leaves of the canopy. The control regime (well-watered (W) treatment) was irrigated whenever the accumulated 'A' pan evaporation reached 4 cm, whereas the water-stressed (S) treatment was watered whenever the predawn leaf water potential fell below -1 MPa. During the growing cycle, equal numbers of sun and shade leaves were chosen from the apical, middle and basal parts of the canopy, corresponding to groups of leaves of increasing age. The CO2 exchange rate (CER) was measured at 0830, 1230 and 1530 hours on 8 days along the crop cycle, on leaves in their natural inclination and orientation. Leaf water potentials were measured on apical leaves before dawn and concurrently with gas exchange measurements. Control plants maintained predawn leaf water potential at -0.3 MPa, but S plants reached values lower than -1.2 MPa. Midday leaf water potentials were about twice as low in the S plants as in the controls. Water stress reduced LA1 during the period of crop growth, and dry matter production at harvest. Stressed apical leaves appeared to reduce stress by changing their inclination. They were paraheliotropic around midday and diaheliotropic at 0830 and 1530 hours. The CER values of the S treatment were significantly lower than those of the W treatment in apical and middle leaves, whereas the CER of basal leaves did not differ in either treatments. In the S treatment, reduction in the CER values of sunlit apical leaves was more evident in the afternoon than at midday or early in the morning, whereas basal leaves were less affected by water than basal stress leaves if sunlit, and negligibly in shaded conditions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document