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Drought tolerance of two black poplar ( Populus nigra L.) clones: contribution of carbohydrates and oxidative stress defence
Author(s) -
REGIER NICOLE,
STREB SEBASTIAN,
COCOZZA CLAUDIA,
SCHAUB MARCUS,
CHERUBINI PAOLO,
ZEEMAN SAMUEL C.,
FREY BEAT
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2009.02030.x
Subject(s) - photosynthesis , biology , starch , sugar , botany , shoot , drought tolerance , superoxide dismutase , carbohydrate , horticulture , drought stress , oxidative stress , plant physiology , limiting , food science , biochemistry , mechanical engineering , engineering
Drought is expected to become an increasingly important factor limiting tree growth caused by climate change. Two divergent clones of Populus nigra (58‐861 and Poli) originating from contrasting environments were subjected to water limitation (WL) to elucidate whether they differ in tolerance to drought, which mechanisms to avoid stress they exhibit and whether drought has an impact on the interactions between roots and shoots. Limiting water availability caused photosynthetic rate and total non‐structural carbohydrate (TNC) levels to decrease in 58‐861. However, starch‐degrading enzyme activity and gene expression were induced in roots, and soluble sugar levels were higher than in well‐watered (WW) plants. These data suggest that assimilation and partitioning of carbon to the roots are decreased, resulting in mobilization of stored starch. In contrast, the photosynthetic rate of Poli was reduced only late in the treatment, and carbohydrate levels in WL plants were higher than in WW plants. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and gene expression were higher in Poli than in 58‐861, even in WW plants, leading to a higher capacity to defend against oxidative stress.