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Maturation of Atriplex halimus L. leaves involves changes in the molecular regulation of stomatal conductance under high evaporative demand and high but not low soil water content

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Abstract

Main conclusion

Under high water availability, the maximum gas exchange was observed at noon in the expanding and expanded leaves. The expanded leaves showed lower gas exchange capacity due to the regulation of stomatal-movement genes.

Under well-watered condition, stomatal conductance (gs) and photosynthetic rate (A) of expanding and expanded leaves of Atriplex halimus peaked at noon despite the midday decline in the leaf relative water content, suggesting deviation from typical isohydric behaviour. However, the expanding leaves had higher gs and A than the expanded ones. When light intensity was temporarily increased, A and gs were enhanced in both types of leaves though to a higher level in the expanding leaves. In well-watered expanded leaves: (1) A was mainly dependent on gs rather than photosynthetic capacity; gs was controlled by internal factors, thereby limiting water loss via transpiration (E); (2) the accumulation of total soluble sugars (TSS) along with increased Rubisco protein could be a subsidiary factor limiting A; (3) TSS and ABA seem to act in co-ordination to up-regulate ABA-dependent genes controlling gs and (4) the significant induction of DREBs suggests a role in maintaining high relative water content in these leaves compared to the expanding ones. In expanding leaves of well-watered plants, high A along with Rubisco down-regulation and elevated TSS suggests that A was regulated by signals coordinating carbon and nitrogen balance and the elevated ABA could be involved in regulating the hydraulic activity to enhance cell expansion and facilitate leaf growth. Both expanded and expanding leaves behaved in typical isohydric manner under water stress, which did not involve the accumulation of ABA suggesting that stomatal closure was primarily stimulated by hydraulic rather than chemical signals.

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Abbreviations

A :

Photosynthetic rate

ABI3(5) :

Abscisic acid insensitive 3(5)

ABF :

Abscisic acid binding factor

C i :

Leaf internal CO2 concentration

DREB1(2) :

Dehydration responsive element binding 1(2)

E :

Transpiration

g s :

Stomatal conductance

NCED :

9-cis Epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase

RWC:

Relative water content

Ψ leaf :

Leaf water potential

VPD:

Vapour pressure deficit

WUE:

Water use efficiency

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Laboratory of Functional Genomics, Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, for hosting this work.

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  1. Department of Botany and Mircobiology, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, New Damietta, 34517, Egypt

    Reham M. Nada, Abdel Hamid A. Khedr, Mamdouh S. Serag, Nesma R. El-Qashlan & Gaber M. Abogadallah

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  1. Reham M. Nada
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  2. Abdel Hamid A. Khedr
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Correspondence to Reham M. Nada.

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Nada, R.M., Khedr, A.H.A., Serag, M.S. et al. Maturation of Atriplex halimus L. leaves involves changes in the molecular regulation of stomatal conductance under high evaporative demand and high but not low soil water content. Planta 248, 795–812 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-018-2938-2

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