New approaches to dissect leaf hydraulics reveal large gradients in living tissues of tomato leaves.
New Phytol
; 242(2): 453-465, 2024 Apr.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38413216
ABSTRACT
The water status of the living tissue in leaves is critical in determining plant function and global exchange of water and CO2. Despite significant advances in the past two decades, persistent questions remain about the tissue-specific origins of leaf hydraulic properties and their dependence on water status. We use a fluorescent nanoparticle reporter that provides water potential in the mesophyll apoplast adjacent to the epidermis of intact leaves to complement existing methods based on the Scholander Pressure Chamber (SPC). Working in tomato leaves, this approach provides access to the hydraulic conductance of the whole leaf, xylem, and outside-xylem tissues. These measurements show that, as stem water potential decreases, the water potential in the mesophyll apoplast can drop below that assessed with the SPC and can fall significantly below the turgor loss point of the leaf. We find that this drop in potential, dominated by the large loss (10-fold) of hydraulic conductance of the outside-xylem tissue, is not however strong enough to significantly limit transpiration. These observations highlight the need to reassess models of water transfer through the outside-xylem tissues, the potential importance of this tissue in regulating transpiration, and the power of new approaches for probing leaf hydraulics.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Solanum lycopersicum
Idioma:
En
Revista:
New Phytol
Assunto da revista:
BOTANICA
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos