Changes of Water Status and Different Responses of Osmoregulants in Jatropha Curcas L. Seedlings to Air-drought Stress

[Objective] The study aimed to investigate the changes of water status and different responses of osmoregulants during air-drought stress,to better understand mechanisms of drought resistance in Jatropha Curcas L. [Methods] The 12-day-old J. curcas seedlings were held in a climate chamber at 25/20 ℃（day/night）,16 hours illumination,and 75% of relative humidity for air-drought treatment,and the changes of water potential,osmotic potential and the content of soluble sugar,proline,betaine were measured. [Results] Water potential and osmotic potential in leaves of J. curcas seedlings dropped significantly,pressure potential lost during air-drought stress,and the contents of osmoregulants soluble sugar,proline and betaine rose significantly to different extent in the leaves and stems. [Conclusion] Osmoregulants in the leaves and stems respond differently to air-drought stress,and in general leaves are much more responsive to the drought than stems of J. curcas seedlings.

Effect of Soil Drought Stress on Leaf Water Status, Membrane Permeability and Enzymatic Antioxidant System of Maize

A simulation experiment on the responses of maize (Zea mays L.) from the third leaf stage to maturity for different soil water levels (well-watered, moderately stressed, and severely stressed) was conducted by controlling irrigation and using a mobile rain shelter in a neutral loam, meadow soil to determine the effects on leaf water status, membrane permeability and enzymatic antioxidant system for different growth stages. The results indicated that drought stress relied on drought intensity and duration, with more severe drought stress creating more serious effects on maize. Compared with well-watered conditions, during the silking and blister stages moderate stress did not significantly change the relative water content (RWC) and did change significantly the relative conductivity (RC) (P < 0.05) of the leaves; however, severe stress did significantly decrease (P < 0.01) the leaf RWC and increase (P < 0.01) membrane permeability (leaf relative conductivity). Furthermore, under severe drought stress antioxidant enzyme activities declined significantly (P < 0.01) in later stages, namely for superoxide dismutase (SOD) the tasseling and blister stages, for peroxidase (POD) the milk stage, and for catalase (CAT) during the tasseling, blister, and milk stages. Meanwhile, membrane lipid peroxidation (measured as malondialdehyde content) significantly increased (P < 0.01) in all stages.

Response of spikelet water status to high temperature and its relationship with heat tolerance in rice

In rice, high-temperature stress(HT) during flowering results in decreased grain yield via a reduction in spikelet fertility;however, the effect of plant water status on spikelet fertility under HT remains unknown. To investigate the relationship between spikelet water status and spikelet fertility under HT, two experiments were performed under temperature-controlled conditions using four genotypes with varying tolerance to HT. Rice plants were exposed to HT for seven consecutive days during the flowering stage under three soil water treatments(soil water potential 0, -20, and -40 kPa), as well as under hydroponic conditions in a separate experiment. HT significantly decreased spikelet fertility, pollen fertility, and anther dehiscence under each of the three water treatments. HT significantly increased the spikelet transpiration rate, and this change was accompanied by a significant decrease in the internal temperature of the spikelets. HT decreased pollen grain diameter in heat-sensitive genotypes. HT had varying effects on the water potential of panicles and anthers but increased anther soluble-sugar concentration. Different aquaporin genes showed different expression profiles under HT, and the expression levels of PIPs for plasma membrane intrinsic proteins and TIPs for tonoplast intrinsic proteins increased in anthers but decreased in glumes.Correlation analyses showed that anther dehiscence and pollen(spikelet) fertility were tightly associated with anther water status, and the expression levels of almost all anther aquaporin genes were significantly correlated with anther dehiscence under HT. In summary, an increased spikelet transpiration rate and decreased internal spikelet temperature were associated with alleviation of the effects of HT in rice genotypes with varying degrees of heat tolerance, and the response of spikelet water status to HT, involving increased total expression of aquaporins and soluble sugar content, thereby improved pollen fertility,anther dehiscence, and spikelet fertility, especially in heat-resistant genotypes. The heat-resistant genotypes N22 and SY63 may adopt different approaches to reduce heat damage.

Effects of film mulching regime on soil water status and grain yield of rain-fed winter wheat on the Loess Plateau of China

Shortages and fluctuations in precipitation are influential limiting factors for the sustainable cultivation of rain-fed winter wheat on the Loess Plateau of China. Plastic film mulching is one of the most effective water management practices to improve soil moisture, and may be useful in the Loess Plateau for increasing soil water storage. A field experiment was conducted from July 2010 to June 2012 on the Loess Plateau to investigate the effects of mulching time and rates on soil water storage, evapotranspiration （ET）, water use efficiency （WUE）, and grain yield. Six treatments were conducted： （1） early mulching （starting 30 days after harvest） with whole mulching （EW）; （2） early mulching with half mulching （EH）; （3） early mulching with no mulching （EN）; （4） late mulching （starting 60 days after harvest） with whole mulching （LW）; （5） late mulching with half mulching （LH）; and （6） late mulching with no mulching （LN）. EW increased precipitation storage efficiency during the fallow periods of each season by 18.4 and 17.8%, respectively. EW improved soil water storage from 60 days after harvest to the booting stage and also outperformed LN by 13.8 and 20.9% in each growing season. EW also improved spike number per ha by 13.8 and 20.9% and grain yield by 11.7 and 17.4% during both years compared to LN. However, EW decreased WUE compared with LN. The overall results of this study demonstrated that EW could be a productive and efficient practice to improve wheat yield on the Loess Plateau of China.

Utilization of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in the determination of water status on rice seeds

The relation between seed viability and waterstatus in seed was studied.The experimentwas carried out at Zhongshan University.Seeds of hybrid rice Shanyou 63 were collectedfrom Guangdong Academy of Agriculture Sci-ences in 1993 and then stored for one year inopen air or with silica gel.Before and afterstorage,the relative content of free water andbound water in seeds were measured with

Analysis of Water Quality and Eutrophication Status of Artificial Lakes on Campus:A Case Study in Tibet University

In this paper,the artificial lake on the campus of Tibet University was taken as the research object.By detecting the water quality of the lake,the standard index method and comprehensive pollution index method were used to understand the water quality characteristics,pollution status,and main pollutants of the Siyuan Lake.On this basis,the comprehensive nutritional status index method was used to evaluate the eutrophication status of the Siyuan Lake.The results showed that the overall water quality of the artificial lake was good,showing as still clean,with TN and TP being the main pollution factors of the artificial lake.The main nutritional indicators were TN,TP,and transparency,with a comprehensive nutritional level of middle eutropher.Based on the environmental characteristics of the artificial lake area on the campus of Tibet University,reasonable treatment measures have been proposed.It hoped to prevent and improve the water environment through these measures,and provide reference for the protection and restoration of campus landscape water body.

Rapid and non-destructive detection method for water status and water distribution of rice seeds with different vigor

In this study,newly harvested and aged rice seeds were analyzed to determine their aging process,identify the difference between artificially and naturally aged seeds,and develop a rapid,accurate,and non-destructive detection method for water status and water distribution of rice seed with different vigor.To this end,an artificially accelerated aging test was conducted on the newly harvested rice seeds.Then,low-field nuclear magnetic resonance(LF-NMR)technology was applied to test the new(Shennong No.9816,2018),old(Shennong No.9816,2017),and artificially aged seeds(Shennong No.9816,2018).A standard germination test was conducted for three types of seeds.Finally,the differences of water status and distribution between rice seeds of different vigor were analyzed based on the standard germination test results and wave spectrometry information collected using LF-NMR.The results indicated that new seeds,old seeds,and the artificially accelerated aging rice seeds all exhibited two water phases,and the vigor of rice seeds after the artificial accelerated aging test was lower than that of new seeds.There were significant differences between the frequencies of bound water at the time of the peak and the time at the end of the peak for the three types of seeds.The two times showed an increasing trend for rice seeds with poor vigor,indicating that the ability of the water in the rice seeds having poor vigor to combine with other substances was weakened.There were significant differences between the distributions of free water peak end time for the three types of seeds.All the rice seeds with poor vigor exhibited a decreasing trend at this time,indicating that the freedom of free water inside the rice seed samples with poor vigor was weakened.The total water content of the artificially aged seeds and the aged seeds was higher than that of the new seeds,but the free water content increased from artificially aged seeds to new seeds to aged seeds.This indicates that LF-NMR technology is an effective detection method that can simply compare the differences in seed vitality with respect to water distribution as well as differentiate the seed internal water content of artificially aged and naturally aged seeds.

Drought Tolerance in Mung Bean is Associated with the Genotypic Divergence, Regulation of Proline, Photosynthetic Pigment and Water Relation

Drought is one of the critical conditions for the growth and productivity of many crops including mung bean(Vigna radiata L.Wilczek).Screening of genotypes for variations is one of the suitable strategies for evaluating crop adaptability and global food security.In this context,the study investigated the physiological and biochemical responses of four drought tolerant(BARI Mung-8,BMX-08010-2,BMX-010015,BMX-08009-7),and four drought sensitive(BARI Mung-1,BARI Mung-3,BU Mung-4,BMX-05001)mung bean genotypes under wellwatered(WW)and water deficit(WD)conditions.The WW treatment maintained sufficient soil moisture(22%±0.5%,i.e.,30%deficit of available water)by regularly supplying water.Whereas,the WD treatment was maintained throughout the growing period,and water was applied when the wilting symptom appeared.The drought tolerant(DT)genotypes BARI Mung-8,BMX-08010-2,BMX-010015,BMX-08009-7 showed a high level of proline accumulation(2.52–5.99 mg g^(−1) FW),photosynthetic pigment(total chlorophyll 2.96–3.27 mg g^(−1) FW at flowering stage,and 1.62–2.38 mg g^(−1) FW at pod developing stage),plant water relation attributes including relative water content(RWC)(82%–84%),water retention capacity(WRC)(12–14)as well as lower water saturation deficit(WSD)(19%–23%),and water uptake capacity(WUC)(2.58–2.89)under WD condition,which provided consequently higher relative seed yield.These indicate that the tolerant genotypes gained better physiobiochemical attributes and adaptability in response to drought conditions.Furthermore,the genotype BMX-08010-2 showed superiority in terms of those physio-biochemical traits,susceptibility index(SSI)and stress tolerance index(STI)to other genotypes.Based on the physiological and biochemical responses,the BMX-08010-2 was found to be a suitable genotype for sustaining yield under drought stress,and subsequently,it could be recommended for crop improvement through hybridization programs.In addition,the identified traits can be used as markers to identify tolerant genotypes for drought-prone areas.

Impedance analysis of Labisia pumila plant water status

Labisia pumila(Kacip fatimah)is a popular medicinal plant in Malaysia.The constituents of this plant have been reported to possess anticancer,antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.The growth and production of L.pumila is greatly influenced by the plant water status.Current techniques to measure plant water status are generally based on the plant soil moisture,which apparently did not indicate the real water content inside the plant.There are other techniques to measure directly on the plant such as based on leaf water potential(LWP)and relative water content(RWC).However,these techniques are destructive and time consuming.In this study,four levels of evapotranspiration replacement(ER)treatment which were 100%ER,75%ER,50%ER and 25%ER was applied to 30 polybags of L.pumila plants.The plant water status was measured using an impedance spectroscopy technique.A pair of electrocardiogram(ECG)electrode connected to an impedance analyzer board was used to measure the impedance value of the leaf samples noninvasively.Plant water status parameters such as LWP,RWC,volumetric moisture content(VMC),and leaf thickness were measured using standard methods.The results show that after 20 weeks of treatment,25%ER had the highest impedance value ranged from 0.10 MX to 0.15 MX at the frequency of 70–100 kHz.The resistance of 100%ER at 20 weeks of treatment increased from 0.70 kX to 1.23 kX as the reactance decreased from 0.51 kX to 0.28 kX.Comparatively,the resistance of 25%ER increased from 1 kX to 1.10 kX as the reactance decreased from 0.88 kX to 0.83 kX.The polynomial regression of impedance measurements with plant water status parameters(VMC,leaf thickness,LWP and RWC)shows that LWP and RWC had the highest R2(0.78,0.73).The results show that impedance measurement technique is auspicious to evaluate plant water status.

Relationship of 2 100-2 300 nm Spectral Characteristics of Wheat Canopy to Leaf Area Index and Leaf N as Affected by Leaf Water Content

The effects of leaf water status in a wheat canopy on the accuracy of estimating leaf area index (LAI) and N were determined in this study using extracted spectral characteristics in the 2 000-2 300 nm region of the short wave infrared (SWI) band. A newly defined spectral index, relative adsorptive index in the 2000-2300 nm region (RAI2000-2300), which can be calculated by RAI2000-2300 = (R2224 - R2054) (R2224 + R2054)-1 with R being the reflectance at 2224 or 2054 nm, was utilized. This spectral index, RAI2000-2300, was significantly correlated (P < 0.01) with green LAI and leaf N concentration and proved to be potentially valuable for monitoring plant green LAI and leaf N at the field canopy scale. Moreover, plant LAI could be monitored more easily and more successfully than plant leaf N. The study also showed that leaf water had a strong masking effect on the 2 000-2 300 nm spectral characteristics and both the coefficient between RAI2000-2300 and green LAI and that between RAI2000-2300 and leaf N content decreased as leaf water content increased.

The Relative Contribution of Non-Foliar Organs of Cotton to Yield and Related Physiological Characteristics Under Water Defi cit

Water deficit is one of the most important causes of decreased yield in cultivated plants. Non-foliar green organs in cotton play an important role in yield formation at the late growth stage. Although better photosynthetic performance was observed in a non-foliar organ （bract） compared with leaves under water deficit. However, the physiological response of each organ in cotton to water deficit has not been comprehensively studied in relation to the water status and photosynthesis characteristics. We studied the maintenance of water status of each organ in cotton by measuring their relative water content, proline content and stomatal characteristics. Water deficit significantly decreased the surface area of each organ, but to a lesser extent in non-foliar organs. Our results showed that the relative contribution of biomass accumulation of non-foliar organs increased under water deficit. Non-foliar organs （bracts and capsule wall） showed less ontogenetic decrease in O2 evolution capacity and in RuBPC activity （per dry weight） as well as better antioxidant systems than leaves at various days after anthesis. We conclude that the photosynthesis from non-foliar organs is important for increasing cotton yield especially under water deficit conditions.

Towards a more flexible representation of water stress effects in the nonlinear Jarvis model

To better interpret summer maize stomatal conductance （gs） variation under conditions of changing water status at different growth stages, three water stress indicators, soil water content （SWC）, leaf-air temperature difference （AT） and leaf level water stress index （CWSIL） were employed in Jarvis model, which were Js, JT and Jc models respectively. Measurements of gs were conducted in a summer maize field experiment during the year 2012-2013. In the insufficient irrigation exper- iment, three levels of irrigation amount were applied at four different growth stages of summer maize. We constructed three scenarios to evaluate the performance of the three water stress indicators for estimating maize gs in a modified Jarvis model. Results showed that JT and Jc models had better simulation accuracy than the Js model, especially at the late growth stage （Scenario 1） or considering the plant recovery compensation effects （Scenario 2）. Scenario 3 indicated that the more environmental factors were adopted, the better prediction performance would be for Js model. While for JT model, two environmental factors （photosynthesis active radiation （PAR）, and vapor pressure deficit （VPD）） seemed good enough to obtain a reliable simulation. When there were insufficient environmental data, CWSI, would be the best option. This study can be useful to understand the response of plant stomatal to changing water conditions and will further facilitate the application of the Jarvis model in various environments.

Effect of Drought Stress on Growth and Water Physiological Characteris­tics of Poa sibirica

In order to develop the resources of native turfgrass,the morphological traits and drought resistance of native Siberian bluegrass(Poa sibirica,abbreviated as PS)was evaluated using the introduced Kentucky bluegrass'Midnight'(Poa pratensis,abbreviated as PP)as a control.Two water schemes were imposed to plants in this pot culture study in greenhouse.One was with drought stress persistent limiting water supply for 20 days,the other was re-hydrated until 14 days after drought.The leaf shape,turf color,water status and cell plasma membrane permeability were evaluated.Similar changing trends with these parameters were shown for both species,and there were not significant differences with most evaluations during drought and re-water periods.The values leaf width and length of PS were higher while leaf color intensity was slightly lower than that of PP,but the greenness of PS leaf was still visually acceptable.There were not significant differences with cell membrane stability between the two species.In comparison,the native wild species PS possessed the potential for to be domesticated into a new cultivar for turf industry.

Differences in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and water content in heteromorphic leaves of Populus euphratica from Inner Mongolia, China

We studied three typical heteromorphic leaves of Populus euphratica trees growing in the Wuhai region of Inner Mongolia,China,i.e.,lanceolate,broad-ovate and dentate broad-ovate leaves and mainly focused on the changes in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and free water and bound water content.The results show that the values of Fm（maximal fluorescence yield）,Fv/Fm（maximum photochemical quantum yield of PSII） and Fv/F0（potential quantum efficiency of PSII） of lanceolate leaves were the least on young trees,while these parameters were the least on the ovate leaves of old trees.Compared with young trees,the free water content of heteromorphic leaves of old trees increased significantly,i.e.,by 78.94% in lanceolate leaves and in the leaves of broad-ovate and dentate broad-ovate by 10.99% and 10.60%,respectively.Correlation analysis showed that free water content is significantly related to Fv/Fm and Fv/F0 in young trees,while the relationship of total water content with Fv/Fm and Fv/F0 is positive in old trees.

The causes and impacts for heat stress in spring maize during grain filling in the North China Plain--A review

High-temperature stress （HTS） at the grain-filling stage in spring maize （Zea mays L.） is the main obstacle to increasing productivity in the North China Plain （NCP）. To solve this problem, the physiological mechanisms of HTS, and its causes and impacts, must be understood. The HTS threshold of the duration and rate in grain filling, photosynthetic characteristics （e.g., the thermal stability of thylakoid membrane, chlorophyll and electron transfer, photosynthetic carbon assimilation）, water status （e.g., leaf water potential, turgor and leaf relative water content） and signal transduction in maize are reviewed. The HTS threshold for spring maize is highly desirable to be appraised to prevent damages by unfavorable temperatures during grain filling in this region. HTS has negative impacts on maize photosynthesis by damaging the stability of the thylakoid membrane structure and degrading chlorophyll, which reduces light energy absorption, transfer and photosynthetic carbon assimilation. In addition, photosynthesis can be deleteriously affected due to inhibited root growth under HTS in which plants decrease their water-absorbing capacity, leaf water potential, turgor, leaf relative water content, and stomatal conductance. Inhibited photosynthesis decrease the supply of photosynthates to the grain, leading to falling of kernel weight and even grain yield. However, maize does not respond passively to HTS. The plant transduces the abscisic acid （ABA） signal to express heat shock proteins （HSPs）, which are molecular chaperones that participate in protein refolding and degradation caused by HTS. HSPs stabilize target protein configurations and indirectly improve thylakoid membrane structure stability, light energy absorption and passing, electron transport, and fixed carbon assimilation, leading to improved photosynthesis. ABA also induces stomatal closure to maintain a good water status for photosynthesis. Based on understanding of such mechanisms, strategies for alleviating HTS at the grain-filling stage in spring maize are summarized. Eight strategies have the potential to improve the ability of spring maize to avoid or tolerate HTS in this study, e.g., adjusting sowing date to avoid HTS, breeding heat-tolerance varieties, and tillage methods, optimizing irrigation, heat acclimation, regulating chemicals, nutritional management, and planting geometric design to tolerate HTS. Based on the single technology breakthrough, a com- prehensive integrated technical system is needed to improve heat tolerance and increase the spring maize yield in the NCP.

Relationship between dew presence and Bassia dasyphylla plant growth

Dew has been recognized for its ecological significance and has also been identified as an additional source of water in arid zones. We used factorial control experiment, under dew presence in the field, to explore photosynthetic performance, water status and growth response of desert annual herbage. Bassia dasyphylla seedlings were grown in contrasting dew treatments （dew-absent and dew-present） and different watering regimes （normal and deficient）. The effects of dew on the water status and photosynthetic performance of Bassia dasyphylla grown in a desert area of the Hexi Corridor in Northwestern China, were evaluated. The results indicated the pres- ence of dew significantly increased relative water content （RWC） of shoots and total biomass of plants in both water regimes, and enhanced the diurnal shoot water potential and stomatal conductance in the early morning, as well as photosynthetic rate, which reached its maximum only in the water-stressed regime. The presence of dew increased aboveground growth of plants and photosynthate accumulation in leaves, but decreased the root-to-shoot ratio in both water regimes. Dew may have an important role in improving plant water status and ameliorating the adverse effects of plants exposed to prolonged drought.

Claroideoglomus etunicatum improved the growth and saline-alkaline tolerance of Potentilla anserina by altering physiological and biochemical properties

To investigate the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM)fungi on the growth and saline–alkaline tolerance of Potentilla anserina L.,the seedlings were inoculated with Claroideoglomus etunicatum(W.N.Becker&Gerd.)C.Walker&A.Schüßler in pot cultivation.After 90 days of culture,saline–alkaline stress was induced with NaCl and NaHCO_(3)solution according to the main salt components in saline–alkaline soils.Based on the physiological response of P.anserina to the stress in the preliminary experiment,the solution concentrations of 0 mmol/L,75 mmol/L,150 mmol/L,225 mmol/L and 300 mmol/L were treated with stress for 10 days,respectively.The mycorrhizal colonization rate,mycorrhizal dependence,chlorophyll content,malondialdehyde content,antioxidant enzyme activities,osmoregulation substances content and water status were measured.The results showed that with the increase of NaCl and NaHCO_(3)stress concentration,mycorrhizal colonization rate,colonization intensity,arbuscular abundance and vesicle abundance decreased,and reached the lowest value at 300 mmol/L.Strong mycorrhizal dependence was observed after the symbiosis with AM fungus,and the dependence was higher under NaHCO_(3)treatment.Under NaCl and NaHCO_(3)stress,inoculation with AM fungus could increase chlorophyll content,decrease malondialdehyde content,increase activities of superoxide dismutase,peroxidase and catalase,increase contents of proline,soluble sugar and soluble protein,increase tissue relative water content and decrease water saturation deficit.It was concluded that salt–alkali stress inhibited the colonization of AM fungus,but the mycorrhiza still played a positive role in maintaining the normal growth of plants under salt–alkali stress.

Comparative Study on Growth Performance of Transgenic(Over-Expressed OsNHX1) and Wild-Type Nipponbare under Different Salinity Regimes

Transgenic Nipponbare which over-expressed a Na＋/H~ antiporter gene OsNHX1 was used to compare its growth performance, water status and photosynthetic efficiency with its wild type under varying salinity regimes. Chlorophyll content, quantum yield and photosynthetic rate were measured to assess the impact of salinity stress on photosynthetic efficiency for transgenic and wild-type Nipponbare. Effects of salinity on water status and gas exchange to both lines were studied by measuring water use efficiency, instantaneous transpiration rate and stomatal conductance. Dry shoot weight and leaf area were determined after three months of growth to assess the impacts of salinity on the growth of those two lines. Our study showed that both lines were affected by salinity stress, however, the transgenic line showed higher photosynthetic efficiency, better utilization of water, and better growth due to low transpiration rate and stomatal conductance. Reduction of photosynthetic efficiency exhibited by the wild-type Nipponbare was correlated to its poor growth under salinity stress.

Some ecophysiological characteristics of artà (Calligonum comosum L'Hérit) in response to drought stress

Water deficit is an important environmental factor restricting plant growth and photosynthesis. The effect of water deprivation on leaf water status, photosynthetic gas exchange, chlorophyll content and fluorescence parameters of arta （Calligonum comosum） was studied. Five-month-old arta seedlings, grown in pots in the open air, were subjected to one of four drought treatments （i.e., mild, moderate, severe and extreme drought stress） and compared to control seedlings （normal watering regime）. Results show that leaf water potential, net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, photosynthetic pigment content （chlorophyll a and b） decreased with increasing levels of drought stress. Inactivation of the photosynthetic apparatus was accompanied by changes in the fluorescence characteristics, providing evidence that reduction of photosynthetic rate could be attributed to non-stomatal limitations. Alterations imply changes in photochemical conversion efficiency of photosystem II by which plants could reduce water transpiration or protect their photosynthetic apparatus from destruction. These adaptations are discussed in relation to the strategies developed to grow drought-resistant arta seedlings in desert environments.