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Natural 13 C distribution in oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) and consequences for allocation pattern
Author(s) -
Lamade Emmanuelle,
Tcherkez Guillaume,
Darlan Nuzul Hijri,
Rodrigues Rosario Lobato,
Fresneau Chantal,
Mauve Caroline,
LamotheSibold Marlène,
Sketriené Diana,
Ghashghaie Jaleh
Publication year - 2016
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/pce.12606
Subject(s) - elaeis guineensis , carbon fixation , biology , photosynthesis , palm , botany , respiration , rubisco , sucrose , palm oil , horticulture , food science , physics , quantum mechanics
Oil palm has now become one of the most important crops, palm oil representing nearly 25% of global plant oil consumption. Many studies have thus addressed oil palm ecophysiology and photosynthesis‐based models of carbon allocation have been used. However, there is a lack of experimental data on carbon fixation and redistribution within palm trees, and important C‐sinks have not been fully characterized yet. Here, we carried out extensive measurement of natural 13 C‐abundance ( δ 13 C) in oil palm tissues, including fruits at different maturation stages. We find a 13 C‐enrichment in heterotrophic organs compared to mature leaves, with roots being the most 13 C‐enriched. The δ 13 C in fruits decreased during maturation, reflecting the accumulation in 13 C‐depleted lipids. We further used observed δ 13 C values to compute plausible carbon fluxes using a steady‐state model of 13 C‐distribution including metabolic isotope effects ( 12 v / 13 v ). The results suggest that fruits represent a major respiratory loss (≈39% of total tree respiration) and that sink organs such as fruits are fed by sucrose from leaves. That is, glucose appears to be a quantitatively important compound in palm tissues, but computations indicate that it is involved in dynamic starch metabolism rather that C‐exchange between organs.