Plant waterflow restrictions among sweet corn lines related to limited‐transpiration trait
2022
Sinclair, Thomas R. | Jafarikouhini, Nahid
While partial stomata closure under elevated vapor pressure deficit (VPD), that is, a limited‐transpiration trait resulting in soil water conservation and crop drought resiliency, has been identified in a few lines in all major crop species, the basis for the trait is not resolved. Since changes in stomatal aperture are associated with hydraulic processes, properties influencing waterflow in the plant are candidates associated with expression of limited‐transpiration. In a previous study with leaves of sweet corn (Zea mays L.), limited‐transpiration was only weakly associated with the effect of silver ion, an aquaporin inhibitor, on leaf transpiration rate. The hypothesis was explored that total aquaporin activity rather than only silver‐sensitive aquaporins may be more relevant in the expression of limited transpiration. Leaves were fed potent aquaporin inhibitors of mercury and peroxide which both resulted in greater transpiration inhibition than silver, but there were no differences in response among lines. A second hypothesis was that there may be a major limitation of waterflow in the root system accounting for genotypic variation in expression of the limited‐transpiration trait. No differences in root hydraulic conductance were found among sweet corn lines differing in the limited‐transpiration trait. However, it was discovered that the root conductance decreased during the photoperiod in all tested lines. Measurements of root hydraulic conductance in response to a silver treatment showed differences among lines with an association between the VPD breakpoint for limited transpiration and transpiration sensitivity to the silver treatment.
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