Coordinated plasticity maintains hydraulic safety in sunflower leaves

The air-seeding threshold water potential establishes a hydraulic limit on the ability of woody species to survive in water-limiting environments, but herbs may be more plastic in terms of their ability to adapt to drying conditions. Here we examined the capacity of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) leaves to adapt to reduced water availability by modifying the sensitivity of xylem and stomata to soil water deficit. We found that sunflower plants grown under water-limited conditions significantly adjusted leaf osmotic potential, which was linked to a prolongation of stomatal opening as soil dried and a reduced sensitivity of photosynthesis to water-stress induced damage. At the same time, the vulnerability of midrib xylem to waterstress induced cavitation was observed to be highly responsive to growth conditions, with water-limited plants producing conduits with thicker cell walls which were more resistant to xylem cavitation. Coordinated plasticity in osmotic potential and xylem vulnerability enabled water-limited sunflowers to safely extract water from the soil, while protecting leaf xylem against embolism. High plasticity in sunflower xylem contrasts with data from woody plants, and may suggest an alternative strategy in herbs

Leaves, not roots or floral tissue, are the main site of rapid, external pressure-induced ABA biosynthesis in angiosperms

Rapid biosynthesis of abscisic acid (ABA) in the leaf, triggered by a decrease in cell volume, is essential for a functional stomatal response to vapour pressure deficit (VPD) in angiosperms. However, it is not known whether rapid biosynthesis of ABA is triggered in other plant tissues as well. Through the application of external pressure to flower, root and leaf tissues, we test whether a reduction in cell volume can trigger rapid increases in ABA levels across plant body in two species Solanum lycopersicum and Passiflora tarminiana. Our results show that, in contrast to rapid ABA synthesis in the leaf, flower and root tissue did not show a significant, rapid increase in ABA level in response to a drop in cell volume over a short time-frame, suggesting that fast ABA biosynthesis occurs only in leaf, not in flower or root tissues. A gene encoding the key, rate-limiting carotenoid cleavage enzyme (9`-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase, NCED) in ABA biosynthetic pathway in S. lycopersicum, NCED1, was unregulated to lesser degree in flowers and roots compared to leaves in response to applied pressure. In both species, floral tissues contained substantially lower levels of NCED substrate 9`-cis-neoxanthin than leaves, and this ABA precursor could not be detected in roots. Slow and minimal ABA biosynthesis was detected after 2 h in petals, indicating that floral tissue is capable of synthesising ABA in response to sustained water deficit. Our results indicate that rapid ABA biosynthesis predominantly occurs in the leaves, and not in other tissues

Demonstrating commercial hollow fibre membrane contactor performance at industrial scale for biogas upgrading at a sewage treatment works

Hollow fibre membrane contactor (HFMC) technology has been developed for CO2 absorption primarily using synthetic gas, which neglects the critical impact that trace contaminants might have on separation efficiency and robustness in industrial gases. This study, therefore, commissioned a demonstration-scale HFMC for CO2 separation at a full-scale anaerobic digester facility to evaluate membrane integrity over six months of operation on real biogas. The CO2 capture efficiency identified using real biogas was benchmarked at comparable conditions on synthetic gas of an equivalent partial pressure, and an equivalent performance identified. Two HFMC were subsequently compared, one with and one without a pre-treatment stage that targeted particulates, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and humidity. Similar CO2 separation efficiency was again demonstrated, indicating limited impact within the timescale evaluated. However, gas phase pre-treatment is advised in order to ensure robustness in the long term. Over longer-term operation, a decline in CO2 separation efficiency was observed. Membrane autopsy identified shell-side deposition, where the structural morphology and confirmation of amide I and II groups, indicated biofouling. Separation efficiency was reinstated via chemical cleaning, which demonstrated that proactive maintenance could minimise process risk

Linking Auxin with Photosynthetic Rate via Leaf Venation

International audienceLand plants lose vast quantities of water to the atmosphere during photosynthetic gas exchange. In angiosperms, a complex network of veins irrigates the leaf, and it is widely held that the density and placement of these veins determines maximum leaf hydraulic capacity and thus maximum photosynthetic rate. This theory is largely based on interspecific comparisons and has never been tested using vein mutants to examine the specific impact of leaf vein morphology on plant water relations. Here we characterize mutants at the Crispoid (Crd) locus in pea (Pisum sativum), which have altered auxin homeostasis and activity in developing leaves, as well as reduced leaf vein density and aberrant placement of free-ending veinlets. This altered vein phenotype in crd mutant plants results in a significant reduction in leaf hydraulic conductance and leaf gas exchange. We find Crispoid to be a member of the YUCCA family of auxin biosynthetic genes. Our results link auxin biosynthesis with maximum photosynthetic rate through leaf venation and substantiate the theory that an increase in the density of leaf veins coupled with their efficient placement can drive increases in leaf photosynthetic capacity