Identification of shoot traits related to drought tolerance in common bean seedlings

Drought is an important abiotic stress that limits common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) productivity. The objective of this study was to determine shoot traits that are associated with drought tolerance in common bean seedlings. Ten common bean genotypes consisting mainly of cultivars and breeding lines from the Mesoamerican race of the Middle American gene pool were first evaluated in the greenhouse. Genotypes were grown in a shallow soil profile to limit root growth and assess shoot phenotypes under stress. Water stress was imposed by withholding watering for 24 days after planting. Traits evaluated included wilting, unifoliate senescence, stem greenness, and recovery from drought. Biomass and number of pods/plant produced after drought recovery were evaluated to quantify the effect of early drought stress on bean growth and reproduction. A second group of 94 common bean genotypes from the Bean Coordinated Agricultural Project (BeanCAP) were evaluated using the same protocol to determine the genetic variability for the same traits in a wider range of genotypes. In general, genotypes known to possess drought avoidance in the field conferred by deep rooting traits performed poorly in these conditions suggesting that the assay could be used to identify seedling shoot traits that contribute to drought tolerance. Genotypes from race Mesoamerica showed the greatest range in wilting. Genotypes that showed a slow rate of wilting maintained a green stem and had a higher recovery rate after watering. Importantly, these genotypes demonstrated a smaller reduction in biomass and pod number under stress compared with non-stress treatments. A few genotypes recovered completely despite expressing severe wilting, whereas the majority of genotypes with high wilting rates did not recover. Among the BeanCAP materials, genotypes bred in the rainfed midwestern United States showed overall better recovery than those bred under the irrigated production system used in the western United States. Because recovery from drought is a prerequisite to plant regrowth, biomass, and pod production after drought stress, factors that contribute to recovery were studied. Stem greenness was highly positively correlated to the recovery, whereas wilting was negatively correlated to the recovery. In a regression analysis, stem greenness and slow wilting were found to be important contributors to the variability of recovery. In addition, photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance (gS) explained variation in wilting and stem greenness. These results suggest that wilting and stem greenness might be useful traits to screen for drought tolerance in seedlings of common bean

Variações do conteúdo de glucose, frutose e sorbitol em gemas e ramos de macieira durante a dormência Variations of glucose, frutose and sorbitol content in buds and stems of apple tree during the dormancy period

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar as variações do conteúdo de glucose, frutose e sorbitol em gemas e ramos de um ano de macieira durante o período de dormência. Os ramos da cultivar "Imperial Gala" foram coletados em Porto Amazonas-PR, em intervalos de 21 dias, de abril a agosto (19/04, 10/05, 31/05, 21/06, 12/07, 02/08 e 23/08), e receberam ou não tratamento com frio suplementar de 1.440 horas à temperatura de 4 a 7&deg;C. As análises dos carboidratos foram realizadas em gemas e porções de ramos adjacentes às primeiras por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (HPLC). Ocorreu um acúmulo de glucose, frutose e sorbitol nas gemas de macieira durante a dormência. O acúmulo de glucose e frutose nos ramos aconteceu até o início de agosto quando, em seguida, houve redução, enquanto o sorbitol decresceu até junho e, em seguida, elevou-se até o final de agosto. O tratamento com frio ao longo da dormência modificou as variações dos conteúdos de carboidratos nas gemas e ramos de macieira.<br>This research was aimed at evaluating the variations of glucose, frutose and sorbitol content in one year old buds and stems of apple trees during the dormancy period. The stems of cv. Imperial Gala were collected in Porto Amazonas, Parana State, Brazil, at intervals of 21 days from April to August (April 19th, May 10th, May 31st, June 21st, July 12th, August 2nd and August 23rd) and were treated or not with 1,440 hours of chill (4 to 7&deg;C). The carbohydrates were analysed in buds and stem tissues close to buds by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). There was an increase of glucose, frutose and sorbitol content in apple tree buds during the dormancy. An increase of glucose and frutose content in stems occured until August 2nd followed by a significative reduction, while the sorbitol content decreased until June 21st followed by an increase until August 31st. The chill treatment during the dormancy period modified the variations of carbohydrate contents in buds and stems of apple tree

Dinâmica do conteúdo de monossacarídeos em gemas e ramos de dois anos de macieira durante a endodormência Dynamics of monosaccharides content in two year old buds and stems of apple tree during the dormancy period

O objetivo do trabalho foi determinar as variações do conteúdo de glucose, frutose e sorbitol em gemas e ramos de dois anos de macieira que receberam ou não frio suplementar durante o período de dormência. Os ramos da cultivar Imperial Gala foram coletados em Porto Amazonas-PR, região de baixa ocorrência de frio, em intervalos de 21 dias, de abril a agosto, e receberam ou não tratamento com frio suplementar de 1.440 horas, à temperatura de 4 a 7&deg;C. As análises dos monossacarídeos foram realizadas em gemas e porções de ramos adjacentes a elas por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (HPLC). Houve acúmulo de glucose e frutose em gemas de macieira de abril a agosto, e este aumento foi estimulado pelo tratamento com 1.440 horas de frio. O conteúdo de glucose e frutose nos ramos adjacentes às gemas elevou-se de abril ao início de agosto, com posterior queda no final de agosto e o tratamento com frio antecipou esta dinâmica. O conteúdo de sorbitol em gemas e ramos de macieira oscilou de abril a agosto, e sua dinâmica foi alterada pelo frio.<br>The objective of this work was to evaluate the variation of glucose, fructose and sorbitol content in two year old buds and stems of apple trees during the dormancy period. Stems of cv. Imperial Gala were collected in Porto Amazonas, Parana State, Brazil, a region of low chill occurence, at intervals of 21 days from April to August and were treated or not with 1,440 hours of chill (4 to 7&deg;C). The monosaccharides were analysed in buds and stem tissues close to buds by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). There was an increase of glucose and fructose content in buds from April to August and it was stimulated by the chill treatment. The glucose and fructose content in stems increased from April to August 2nd followed by a reduction in August 23rd and the chill treatment advanced this dynamics. The sorbitol content in buds and stems of apple tree oscillated from April to August and its dynamics was modified by the chill treatment

Carbohydrates and resistance to Phytophthora infestans in potato plants

peer reviewedPlants generally deal with biotic or abiotic stresses by altering components as for example cell wall constituents and metabolites. Infection by Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of late blight, constitutes a stress condition for the plants and they react to it with changes arising in their metabolism depending on the resistance level of the plants. The present work compares two potato hybrids differing in their level of horizontal resistance to late blight. Carbohydrate content in stems and leaves of infected and uninfected plants was determined by HPLC. Some carbohydrates accumulated in the stems of the resistant hybrid infected by P. infestans, whereas they remained unchanged in the susceptible hybrid. On the other hand, in the leaves, these carbohydrates accumulated only in the infected susceptible hybrid