Polyphasic OKJIP Chlorophyll a Fluorescence Transient in a Landrace and a Commercial Cultivar of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum, L.) under Long-Term Salt Stress

In a soilless long-term salt-stress experiment, we tested the differences between the commercial sweet pepper cultivar “Quadrato d’Asti” and the landrace “Cazzone Giallo” in the structure and function of PSII through the JIP test analysis of the fast chlorophyll fluorescence transients (OKJIP). Salt stress inactivated the oxygen-evolving complex. Performance index detected the stress earlier than the maximum quantum yield of PSII, which remarkably decreased in the long term. The detrimental effects of salinity on the oxygen evolving-complex, the trapping of light energy in PSII, and delivering in the electron transport chain occurred earlier and more in the landrace than the cultivar. Performance indexes decreased earlier than the maximum quantum yield of PSII. Stress-induced inactivation of PSII reaction centers reached 22% in the cultivar and 45% in the landrace. The resulted heat dissipation had the trade-off of a correspondent reduced energy flow per sample leaf area, thus an impaired potential carbon fixation. These results corroborate the reported higher tolerance to salt stress of the commercial cultivar than the landrace in terms of yield. PSII was more affected than PSI, which functionality recovered in the late of trial, especially in the cultivar, possibly due to heat dissipation mechanisms. This study gives valuable information for breeding programs aiming to improve tolerance in salt stress sensitive sweet pepper genotypes

Agronomic and physiological response of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) to soil salinity.

The soil salinity increase in the Mediterranean basin is one of the consequences of the climate change. The aim of this study was to evaluate the adaptability of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) to salinity, in conditions of higher temperatures, in order to hypothesise the future use of giant reed under these conditions. The trial was carried out in pots under a permanent metal structure, open on the sides and with a clear PE on the top. Four levels of soil salinity in the range 3.3-15.5 dS m–1 were imposed. The stem number of the most stressed treatment was about 45% lower than the control and also the stem height was lower than in all other treatments. The green and yellow leaf number decreased as the soil salinity increased, and their sum was significantly lower in the two most stressed treatments. Osmotic potential of the leaf sap was not affected by salinity. Leaf water potential and stomatal conduc- conductance in the saline treatments were lower than in the control. tance Assimilation rate showed similar pattern of stomatal conductance. Intrinsic WUE remained almost stable until July and increased during August under the most stressful conditions. PSII photochemistry was not affected by soil salinity. Biomass yield was not different from the control until to soil ECe 12.0 dS m–1: only the most stressed treatment (15.5 dS m–1) caused yield losses (50%). Tolerance threshold to salinity was 11.2 dS m–1 and the relative yield losses were 11.6% per dS m–1

Physiological Basis of Salt Stress Tolerance in a Landrace and a Commercial Variety of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

Salt stress is one of the most impactful abiotic stresses that plants must cope with. Plants’ ability to tolerate salt stress relies on multiple mechanisms, which are associated with biomass and yield reductions. Sweet pepper is a salt-sensitive crop that in Mediterranean regions can be exposed to salt build-up in the root zone due to irrigation. Understanding the physiological mechanisms that plants activate to adapt to soil salinization is essential to develop breeding programs and agricultural practices that counteract this phenomenon and ultimately minimize yield reductions. With this aim, the physiological and productive performances of Quadrato D’Asti, a common commercial sweet pepper cultivar in Italy, and Cazzone Giallo, a landrace of the Campania region (Italy), were compared under different salt stress treatments. Quadrato D’Asti had higher tolerance to salt stress when compared to Cazzone Giallo in terms of yield, which was associated with higher leaf biomass vs. fruit ratio in the former. Ion accumulation and profiling between the two genoptypes revealed that Quadrato D’Asti was more efficient at excluding chloride from green tissues, allowing the maintenance of photosystem functionality under stress. In contrast, Cazzone Giallo seemed to compartmentalize most sodium in the stem. While sodium accumulation in the stems has been shown to protect shoots from sodium toxicity, in pepper and/or in the specific experimental conditions imposed, this strategy was less efficient than chloride exclusion for salt stress tolerance

Near crater observations of gas and aerosols variability at Mount Etna during the EPL-RADIO and EPL-REFLECT measurement campaigns.

International audienceDuring the EPL (Etna Plume Lab) campaigns occurring in 2017 (EPL-RADIO) and 2019 (EPL-REFLECT), gas and aerosol measurements were performed at Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy) to better assess the role of volcanic aerosols on both regional climate system and local health hazard. Gas related to volcanic emissions (such as SO2, H2S and others) were measured with low cost sensors (Alphasense) and HCl/SO2 ratio was validated in comparison to FTIR measurements. Aerosol physical and chemical properties were measured using low-cost Optical Particle Counters (OPCN2 from Alphasense) and filter measurements dedicated to organic acids, inorganic ions, soluble metals and total metals. During the EPL-REFLECT campaign, in-situ measurements were performed during: 1) the hike up, 2) a 2-hours period in the close vicinity of the Bocca Nuova crater, 3) the hike down and 4) in Milo (city on the flank of the Etna). Moreover, few OPCs were left unattended at the Bocca Nuova crater for two full days. Gas abundances at the crater-rim ranged from a few to 10"s ppmv SO2, with correlation to PM. The analysis of the 2 days measurements highlights a clear diurnal variation of aerosol size distributions. Indeed, at sunrise the total number and mass concentration is rapidly increasing from 15mg/m3 to 125mg/m3 in less than 2 hours. The variation of PM1/PM10 ratio shows a constant trend throughout the day except during a short period of time associated with high wind speeds. These results suggest that most aerosols are emitted through degassing and conversion of precursor gases to particles.Moreover, analysis of aerosol samples collected on filters showed a change in metal solubility from the samples collected at the crater and the samples collected after atmospheric transport in Milo. This may indicate that the volcanic plume underwent processing in the aqueous phase during transport

Screening of giant reed (<i>Arundo donax</i> L.) ecotypes for biomass production under salt stress

<p>Given its high biomass and plasticity, <i>Arundo donax</i> L. is a promising ligno-cellulosic crop for cultivation in marginal lands in temperate climates. In order to test for adaptation to salinity, growth parameters of several <i>A. donax</i> clones were evaluated under two salt regimes in hydroponics. Mild NaCl stress (50 mM NaCl, 5.6 mS cm⁻¹ EC, for 10 days) failed to discriminate between ecotypes, while a more severe NaCl treatment (150 mM, 18.8 mS cm⁻¹ EC, for 21 days) enabled the identification of ecotypes maintaining plant growth under high salinity. Among several biometric parameters, 4th leaf width, and shoot and root DW consistently highlighted differences between ecotypes. Gas-exchange parameters also responded to severe NaCl treatment, while the photosystem efficiency was good, regardless of treatment. The results confirm that <i>A. donax</i> can be considered moderately tolerant to NaCl stress, with variation between ecotypes. Our screening protocol identified ecotypes with higher biomass production under severe NaCl treatment and can be useful for preliminary evaluation of NaCl tolerant clones for increasing productivity under salinity. The detected inter-ecotype variability could also be investigated to identify suitable clones for different environments.</p

Transcriptomic Changes Drive Physiological Responses to Progressive Drought Stress and Rehydration in Tomato

Tomato is a major crop in the Mediterranean basin, where the cultivation in the open field is often vulnerable to drought. In order to adapt and survive to naturally occurring cycles of drought stress and recovery, plants employ a coordinated array of physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses. Transcriptomic studies on tomato responses to drought and subsequent recovery are few in number. As the search for novel traits to improve the genetic tolerance to drought increases, a better understanding of these responses is required. To address this need we designed a study in which we induced two cycles of prolonged drought stress and a single recovery by rewatering in tomato. In order to dissect the complexity of plant responses to drought, we analyzed the physiological responses (stomatal conductance, CO2 assimilation, and chlorophyll fluorescence), abscisic acid (ABA), and proline contents. In addition to the physiological and metabolite assays, we generated transcriptomes for multiple points during the stress and recovery cycles. Cluster analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the conditions has revealed potential novel components in stress response. The observed reduction in leaf gas exchanges and efficiency of the photosystem PSII was concomitant with a general down-regulation of genes belonging to the photosynthesis, light harvesting, and photosystem I and II category induced by drought stress. Gene ontology (GO) categories such as cell proliferation and cell cycle were also significantly enriched in the down-regulated fraction of genes upon drought stress, which may contribute to explain the observed growth reduction. Several histone variants were also repressed during drought stress, indicating that chromatin associated processes are also affected by drought. As expected, ABA accumulated after prolonged water deficit, driving the observed enrichment of stress related GOs in the up-regulated gene fractions, which included transcripts putatively involved in stomatal movements. This transcriptomic study has yielded promising candidate genes that merit further functional studies to confirm their involvement in drought tolerance and recovery. Together, our results contribute to a better understanding of the coordinated responses taking place under drought stress and recovery in adult plants of tomato

Small-scale volcanic aerosols variability, processes and direct radiative impact at Mount Etna during the EPL-RADIO/REFLECT campaigns

International audience&lt;p&gt;The aerosol properties of Mount Etna&amp;#8217;s passive degassing plume and its short-term processes and radiative impact were studied in detail during the EPL-RADIO/REFLECT campaigns (summer 2016, 17 and 19), using a synergistic combination of remote-sensing and in situ observations, and radiative transfer modelling. Summit observations show extremely high particulate matter concentrations, with no evidence of secondary sulphate aerosols (SA) formation. Marked indications of secondary SA formation, i.e. by the conversion of volcanic SO2 emissions, are found at larger spatial scales (&lt;20 km downwind craters). Using portable photometers, the first mapping of small-scale spatial variability of the average size and burden of volcanic aerosols is obtained, as well as different longitudinal, perpendicular and vertical sections. A substantial variability of the plume properties is found at these spatial scales, revealing that processes (e.g. new particle formation and coarse aerosols sedimentation) are at play, which are not represented with current regional scale modelling and satellite observations. Vertical structures of typical passive degassing plumes are also obtained using observations from a fixed LiDAR station constrained with quasi-simultaneous photometric observations. These observations are used as input to radiative transfer calculations, to obtain the shortwave top of the atmosphere (TOA) and surface radiative effects of the plume. Moreover, the radiative impact of Mount Etna&amp;#8217;s emissions is studied using a medium-term time series (a few months during summer 2019) of coupled aerosol optical properties and surface radiative flux at a fixed station on Etna&amp;#8217;s eastern flank. These are the first available estimations in the literature of the radiative impact of a passive degassing volcanic plume and are here critically discussed. Cases of co-existent volcanic aerosol layers and aerosols from other sources (Saharan dust transport events, wildfire from South Italy and marine aerosols) are also presented and discussed.&lt;/p&gt