Strawberry fruit skins are far more permeable to osmotic water uptake than to transpirational water loss

Water movements through the fruit skin play critical roles in many disorders of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) such as water soaking, cracking and shriveling. The objective was to identify the mechanisms of fruit water loss (dry skin, transpiration) and water uptake (wet skin, osmosis). Fruits were held above dried silica gel or incubated in deionized water. Water movements were quantified gravimetrically. Transpiration and osmotic uptake increased linearly with time. Abrading the thin cuticle (0.62 g m-2) increased rates of transpiration 2.6–fold, the rates of osmotic uptake 7.9-fold. The osmotic potential of the expressed juice was nearly the same for green and for white fruit but decreased in red fruit stages. Fruit turgor was low throughout development, except for green fruit. There was no relationship between the rates of water movement and fruit osmotic potential. The skin permeance for transpiration and for osmotic uptake were both high (relative to other fruit species) but were two orders of magnitude greater for osmotic uptake than for transpiration. Incubating fruit in isotonic solutions of osmolytes of different sizes resulted in increases in fruit mass that depended on the osmolyte. The rate of osmotic uptake decreased asymptotically as molecular size of the osmolyte increased. When transpiration and osmotic uptake experiments were conducted sequentially on the same fruit, the rates of transpiration were higher for fruit previously incubated in water. Fluorescence microscopy revealed considerable microcracking in a fruit previously incubated in water. Our findings indicate that the high permeance for osmotic uptake is accounted for by an extremely thin cuticle and by viscous water flow through microcracks and along polar pathways.

The role of petal transpiration in floral humidity generation

Floral humidity, an area of elevated humidity in the headspace of flowers, has been detected across angiosperms and may function as a pollinator cue for insect pollinators. It is believed floral humidity is produced predominantly through a combination of evaporation of both liquid nectar and transpirational water loss from the flower. However, the role of transpiration in floral humidity generation has not been tested and is largely inferred by continued humidity production when nectar is removed from flowers. Understanding the extent that transpiration contributes to floral humidity has important implications for understanding the function of floral humidity. We test whether transpiration contributes to the floral humidity generation of two species previously identified to produce elevated floral humidity, Calystegia silvatica and Eschscholzia californica. Floral humidity production of flowers that underwent an antitranspirant treatment - petrolatum gel which blocks transpiration from treated tissues - is compared to flowers that did not receive such treatments. Gel treatments reduced floral humidity production to approximately a third of that produced by untreated flowers in C. silvatica, and half of that in E. californica. This confirms, the previously untested, inferences that transpiration has a large contribution to floral humidity generation and that this contribution may vary between species.

Asymmetric water transport in dense leaf cuticles and cuticle-inspired compositionally graded membranes

Most of the aerial organs of vascular plants are covered by a protective layer known as the cuticle, the main purpose of which is to limit transpirational water loss. Cuticles consist of an amphiphilic polyester matrix, polar polysaccharides that extend from the underlying epidermal cell wall and become less prominent towards the exterior, and hydrophobic waxes that dominate the surface. Here we report that the polarity gradient caused by this architecture renders the transport of water through astomatous olive and ivy leaf cuticles directional and that the permeation is regulated by the hydration level of the cutin-rich outer cuticular layer. We further report artificial nanocomposite membranes that are inspired by the cuticles’ compositionally graded architecture and consist of hydrophilic cellulose nanocrystals and a hydrophobic polymer. The structure and composition of these cuticle-inspired membranes can easily be varied and this enables a systematic investigation of the water transport mechanism.

Overexpression of a Poplar RING-H2 Zinc Finger, Ptxerico, Confers Enhanced Drought Tolerance via Reduced Water Loss and Ion Leakage in Populus

Drought stress is one of the major environmental problems in the growth of crops and woody perennials, but it is getting worse due to the global climate crisis. XERICO, a RING (Really Interesting New Gene) zinc-finger E3 ubiquitin ligase, has been shown to be a positive regulator of drought tolerance in plants through the control of abscisic acid (ABA) homeostasis. We characterized a poplar (Populus trichocarpa) RING protein family and identified the closest homolog of XERICO called PtXERICO. Expression of PtXERICO is induced by both salt and drought stress, and by ABA treatment in poplars. Overexpression of PtXERICO in Arabidopsis confers salt and ABA hypersensitivity in young seedlings, and enhances drought tolerance by decreasing transpirational water loss. Consistently, transgenic hybrid poplars overexpressing PtXERICO demonstrate enhanced drought tolerance with reduced transpirational water loss and ion leakage. Subsequent upregulation of genes involved in the ABA homeostasis and drought response was confirmed in both transgenic Arabidopsis and poplars. Taken together, our results suggest that PtXERICO will serve as a focal point to improve drought tolerance of woody perennials.

N-glycosylation is involved in stomatal development by modulating the release of active abscisic acid and auxin in Arabidopsis

Asparagine-linked glycosylation (N-glycosylation) is one of the most important protein modifications in eukaryotes, affecting the folding, transport, and function of a wide range of proteins. However, little is known about the roles of N-glycosylation in the development of stomata in plants. In the present study, we provide evidence that the Arabidopsis stt3a-2 mutant, defective in oligosaccharyltransferase catalytic subunit STT3, has a greater transpirational water loss and weaker drought avoidance, accompanied by aberrant stomatal distribution. Through physiological, biochemical, and genetic analyses, we found that the abnormal stomatal density of stt3a-2 was partially attributed to low endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) and auxin (IAA) content. Exogenous application of ABA or IAA could partially rescue the mutant’s salt-sensitive and abnormal stomatal phenotype. Further analyses revealed that the decrease of IAA or ABA in stt3a-2 seedlings was associated with the underglycosylation of β-glucosidase (AtBG1), catalysing the conversion of conjugated ABA/IAA to active hormone. Our results provide strong evidence that N-glycosylation is involved in stomatal development and participates in abiotic stress tolerance by modulating the release of active plant hormones.

Comparison of Four Systems for Propagation of Coleus by Stem Cuttings

Overhead mist (OM) facilitates the propagation of stem cuttings by preventing transpirational water loss. However, drawbacks to OM include the application of large volumes of water, potentially unsanitary conditions, irregular misting coverage, and leaching of foliar nutrients. We explored three alternatives to OM that might avoid these problems by applying moisture below, rather than overhead. These included 1) a submist (SM) aeroponic system configured to provide intermittent mist only to the rooting zone, 2) a subirrigation (SI) system that provided water via capillary action through perlite from a reservoir maintained below the base of each cutting, and 3) a subfog (SF) aeroponic system that was configured to provide constant fog only to the rooting zone. To initiate each system, we wetted perlite or filled reservoirs using either water or quarter-strength Hoagland solution. Stem cuttings of ‘Wizard Mix’ coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides) were propagated in the systems for 21 days. Cuttings in the SM system produced more than three times as many roots as cuttings in the OM system, with roots more than six times the length. Root dry weights averaged 28 mg for cuttings in the SM system, compared with only 3.5 mg among cuttings receiving OM. The SF and SI systems produced results broadly comparable to the OM. Fertilizer did not consistently improve rooting measures across the systems. Although we observed few fine roots on cuttings rooted using SM, they transplanted well into a soilless substrate and quickly produced new root growth. The SM system used less than 1/5 the water used by the SI system, and less than 1/50 the water used by the SF system. In comparison, a single OM nozzle operating for 10 seconds released about one-third of the total water lost through transpiration from each SM system over the entire experiment. Our results show that SM systems merit further evaluation for propagation of plants by stem cuttings.

Night-time leaf wetting process and its effect on the morning humidity gradient as a driving force of transpirational water loss in a semi-arid cornfield

Night-time leaf wetting process was analyzed in relation to micrometeorological conditions in a semi-arid cornfield and its effect was examined in the following morning with reference to the leaf-to-air humidity gradient which is a driving force in transpiration. Leaf wetness occurred due to dew formation under clear and calm night conditions which decreased canopy surface temperature to the air dew-point temperature. The amount of dew on leaves collected around sunrise (06:00) was 26.4-104.3 g m

Abscisic Acid Applications Decrease Stomatal Conductance and Delay Wilting in Drought-stressed Chrysanthemums

Drought stress during shipping and retailing reduces the postproduction quality and marketability of potted plants. Plants respond to drought stress by closing their stomata and reducing transpirational water loss. This stress response is mediated by the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA). Exogenous applications of s-abscisic acid (s-ABA), the biologically active form of the hormone, can enhance drought tolerance and extend shelf life in a variety of bedding plants. However, little is known about the effectiveness of s-ABA at enhancing drought tolerance in perennial crops like chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum ×morifolium). ‘Festive Ursula’ chrysanthemum plants were drenched (0, 125, 250, or 500 mg·L−1) or sprayed (0, 500, or 1000 mg·L−1) with s-ABA. All applications containing s-ABA effectively delayed wilting by reducing stomatal conductance (gS). Shelf life was extended from 1.2 to 4.0 days depending on the concentration of s-ABA. Spray applications of 500 mg·L−1 s-ABA to six additional chrysanthemum cultivars increased shelf life from 1.6 to 3.8 days following drought stress. s-ABA treatment also allowed severely drought-stressed chrysanthemums to recover and remain marketable after rewatering. Growers can treat chrysanthemums with s-ABA to reduce water use during shipping and to delay wilting if plants are not adequately watered during retailing.