scholarly journals  Drought and aluminium as stress factors in Norway spruce (Picea abies) seedlings

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (No. 12) ◽  
pp. 547-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Slugeňová ◽  
Ľ. Ditmarová ◽  
D. Kurjak ◽  
VáľkaJ

Effects of drought, Al and their possible interaction on physiological characteristics were studied in four-years-old Norway spruce seedlings in a pot experiment. Drought stress was imposed by withholding irrigation. Al was applied to the soil as an AlCl<sub>3</sub>&nbsp;solution at a concentration of 1,500&nbsp;&mu;mol&middot;l<sup>&ndash;1</sup>. Water deficit caused a&nbsp;decrease in needle water potential, net photosynthetic rate (P<sub>n</sub>) and an increase in proline accumulation. On the other hand, water potential, P<sub>n</sub> and proline concentration in seedlings subjected to Al remained unchanged. During the experiment, no significant variation was registered in the chlorophyll a&nbsp;fluorescence parameters. Chlorophyll content was significantly reduced in the Al presence. Drought led to a lower Al accumulation in needles in comparison with well-watered seedlings. Progressive dehydration influenced the physiological state of spruce seedlings. The presence of Al in soil did not cause any negative changes in the physiological parameters under an optimal water regime. By contrast, the synergic effect of drought and Al induced the most marked changes in measured characteristics, which may indicate a possible enhanced impact of drought and Al interaction in comparison with the single effect of these stress factors.

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 416
Author(s):  
Tuija Aronen ◽  
Susanna Virta ◽  
Saila Varis

Telomeres i.e., termini of the eukaryotic chromosomes protect chromosomes during DNA replication. Shortening of telomeres, either due to stress or ageing is related to replicative cellular senescence. There is little information on the effect of biotechnological methods, such as tissue culture via somatic embryogenesis (SE) or cryopreservation on plant telomeres, even if these techniques are widely applied. The aim of the present study was to examine telomeres of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) during SE initiation, proliferation, embryo maturation, and cryopreservation to reveal potential ageing or stress-related effects that could explain variation observed at SE process. Altogether, 33 genotypes from 25 families were studied. SE initiation containing several stress factors cause telomere shortening in Norway spruce. Following initiation, the telomere length of the embryogenic tissues (ETs) and embryos produced remains unchanged up to one year of culture, with remarkable genotypic variation. Being prolonged in vitro culture can, however, shorten the telomeres and should be avoided. This is achieved by successful cryopreservation treatment preserving telomere length. Somatic embryo production capacity of the ETs was observed to vary a lot not only among the genotypes, but also from one timepoint to another. No connection between embryo production and telomere length was found, so this variation remains unexplained.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Roberts Matisons ◽  
Oskars Krišāns ◽  
Āris Jansons ◽  
Toms Kondratovičs ◽  
Didzis Elferts ◽  
...  

In Northern Europe, an increase in heterogeneity of summer precipitation regime will subject forests to water deficit and drought. This is particularly topical for Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.), which is a drought sensitive, yet economically important species. Nevertheless, local populations still might be highly plastic and tolerant, supporting their commercial application. Accordingly, the tolerance of Norway spruce seedlings from an Eastern Baltic provenance (western part of Latvia) to artificial drought according to soil type was assessed in a shelter experiment. To simulate drought, seedlings were subjected to reduced amounts (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) of naturally occurring precipitation (irrigation intensity). Three soil types (oligotrophic mineral, mesotrophic mineral, and peat) were tested. Seedling height, chlorophyll a concentration, and fluorescence parameters were measured. Both growth and photochemical reactions were affected by the irrigation intensity, the effect of which experienced an interacted with soil type, implying complex controls of drought sensitivity. Seedlings were more sensitive to irrigation intensity on mesotrophic mineral soil, as suggested by growth and photosynthetic activity. However, the responses were nonlinear, as the highest performance (growth and fluorescence parameters) of seedlings occurred in response to intermediate drought. On peat soil, which had the highest water-bearing capacity, an inverse response to irrigation intensity was observed. In general, fluorescence parameters were more sensitive and showed more immediate reaction to soil water deficit than concentration of chlorophyll on mesotrophic mineral and peat soils, while the latter was a better indicator of seedling performance on oligotrophic soil. This indicated considerable plastic acclimation and hence tolerance of seedlings from the local Norway spruce population to drought, though drought sensitivity is age-dependent.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret shiraku ◽  
Richard Odongo Magwanga ◽  
Xiaoyan Cai ◽  
Joy Nyangasi Kirungu ◽  
Yanchao Xu ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundCotton is an important economic crop and the primary source of natural fiber. The effects of drought and salt stresses threaten strong fiber and large quantity production. However, due to the ever-changing climatic conditions, plants have evolved various mechanisms to cope with the effects of various stress factors. One of the plant's transcription factors with positive effects in alleviating effects of drought and salt stresses is the Ribosomal protein Large (RPL) gene families. This has prompted the functional characterization of the RPL14B gene previously identified in the QTL region as a candidate gene that responds to stress and initiates mechanisms that enhance stress tolerance. ResultsComprehensive identification and functional analysis were conducted in this study, in which 26, 8, and 5 proteins containing the RPL14B domain were identified in G. hirsutum, G. raimondii, and G. arboreum, respectively. Moreover, Cis-regulatory elements associated with the RPL genes were identified. The Myb binding sites (MBS), Myb, Abscisic acid-responsive element (ABRE), CAAT-box, TATA box, TGACG-motif, and CGTCA-motif responsive to Meja, and TCA- motif responsive to salicylic acid were identified. Validation of the candidate gene through virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) revealed that the Gh_D01G0234 (RPL14B) knockdown significantly affected the cotton seedling's performance under drought/ salt stress conditions as evidenced by a significant reduction in various morphological and physiological traits. Moreover, antioxidant enzyme levels were significantly reduced in VIGS-plants, with substantially higher oxidant enzyme levels, as evidenced by the higher concentration level of Malondialdehyde (MDA). ConclusionThe results revealed the potential role of the gene, and it can be further exploited to breed climate-smart cotton varieties resilient to drought and salt stress conditions


1985 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. M. Ballard ◽  
M. G. Dosskey

Needle water potential in western and mountain hemlock falls as the soil dries, but under our experimental conditions, it remained stable in Douglas-fir. Resistance to water flow from soil to foliage is higher for the hemlocks and increases more steeply as the soil dries. These findings physically account for the observation that water uptake is reduced relatively more for the hemlocks than for Douglas-fir, as soil water potential declines.


Author(s):  
A. Deryugina ◽  
P. Ignatiev ◽  
V. Metelin ◽  
A. Belov ◽  
V. Petrov

The possibility to use the laser interference microscopy in order to assess the RBCs morphology in normal state and in interaction with cortisol and adrenalin as stress hormones was studied. It was established that the laser interference microscopy represented an important instrument permitting to receive the information about physiological state of the RBCs as well as of the organism in the whole in extreme condition. New aspects of cortisol and adrenalin impact on the RBC morphology are defined


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narges Moradtalab ◽  
Roghieh Hajiboland ◽  
Nasser Aliasgharzad ◽  
Tobias E. Hartmann ◽  
Günter Neumann

Silicon (Si) is a beneficial element that alleviates the effects of stress factors including drought (D). Strawberry is a Si-accumulator species sensitive to D; however, the function of Si in this species is obscure. This study was conducted to examine the effect of Si and inoculation with an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) on physiological and biochemical responses of strawberry plants under D. Plants were grown for six weeks in perlite and irrigated with a nutrient solution. The effect of Si (3 mmol L‒1), AMF (Rhizophagus clarus) and D (mild and severe D) was studied on growth, water relations, mycorrhization, antioxidative defense, osmolytes concentration, and micronutrients status. Si and AMF significantly enhanced plant biomass production by increasing photosynthesis rate, water content and use efficiency, antioxidant enzyme defense, and the nutritional status of particularly Zn. In contrast to the roots, osmotic adjustment did not contribute to the increase of leaf water content suggesting a different strategy of both Si and AMF for improving water status in the leaves and roots. Our results demonstrated a synergistic effect of AMF and Si on improving the growth of strawberry not only under D but also under control conditions.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1316
Author(s):  
Luka Krajnc ◽  
Jožica Gričar

The research study examined the effect of tree properties (crown social class, diameter at breast height (DBH), and tree height) on bark thickness (BT) and sapwood moisture content (SMC) in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.). Both examined variables were shown to be positively affected by DBH and tree height. The relationship between DBH and SMC varied among crown social classes, while the relationship between DBH and BT was relatively constant across crown social classes. Crown social class had a relatively small effect on BT and SMC, having a more pronounced effect on SMC than on BT. The relationship between tree height and BT did not vary across crown social classes, while the relationship between SMC and tree height was found to change slightly across crown social classes. Measurements of BT and SMC in the field are affordable, fast, and easy to use. Both variables could potentially be used to improve predictions of bark beetle attacks, as they reflect the physiological state of an individual tree.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4872
Author(s):  
Stefan Bauersachs ◽  
Carmen Almiñana

This Special Issue, “Embryo-Maternal Interactions Underlying Reproduction in Mammals”, gathers a collection of 23 articles, 16 original research articles and 7 up-to-date reviews, providing new findings or summarizing current knowledge on embryo–maternal interactions in seven different mammalian species including humans. Considering the different players involved in these embryo-maternal interactions, articles are mainly focused on one of these different players: the oviduct, the uterus, the embryo or the emergent extracellular vesicles. Additionally, a few articles bring up the impact of reproductive, but also non-reproductive, diseases, as well as stress factors, on the establishment of pregnancy. We hope the readers enjoy this collection of articles and that the knowledge assembled here will support and inspire current and future research investigations. We would like to thank all authors for their contributions to this Special Issue.


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