Chemical inhibition of xylem cellular activity impedes the removal of drought‐induced embolisms in poplar stems – new insights from micro‐CT analysis

Summary In drought‐stressed plants a coordinated cascade of chemical and transcriptional adjustments occurs at the same time as embolism formation. While these processes do not affect embolism formation during stress, they may prime stems for recovery during rehydration by modifying apoplast pH and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The New phytologist 2021-01, Vol.229 (2), p.820-830
Main Authors: Secchi, Francesca, Pagliarani, Chiara, Cavalletto, Silvia, Petruzzellis, Francesco, Tonel, Giulia, Savi, Tadeja, Tromba, Giuliana, Obertino, Maria Margherita, Lovisolo, Claudio, Nardini, Andrea, Zwieniecki, Maciej A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accumulation
Apoplast
apoplastic pH
Biological activity
Carbon monoxide
Computed tomography
Cyanides
Damage accumulation
Drought
Droughts
Embolism
Infiltration
pH effects
Plant Stems
Poplar
Populus
Recovery
Refilling
Rehydration
Saccharides
Sodium
Sodium compounds
Sodium cyanide
Stems
Sugar
sugars
Tomography
Transcription
Vanadate
Vanadates
Water
X-Ray Microtomography
Xylem
X‐ray microcomputed tomography (micro‐CT)
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Summary:Summary In drought‐stressed plants a coordinated cascade of chemical and transcriptional adjustments occurs at the same time as embolism formation. While these processes do not affect embolism formation during stress, they may prime stems for recovery during rehydration by modifying apoplast pH and increasing sugar concentration in the xylem sap. Here we show that in vivo treatments modifying apoplastic pH (stem infiltration with a pH buffer) or reducing stem metabolic activity (infiltration with sodium vanadate and sodium cyanide; plant exposure to carbon monoxide) can reduce sugar accumulation, thus disrupting or delaying the recovery process. Application of the vanadate treatment (NaVO3, an inhibitor of many ATPases) completely halted recovery from drought‐induced embolism for up to 24 h after re‐irrigation, while partial recovery was observed in vivo in control plants using X‐ray microcomputed tomography. Our results suggest that stem hydraulic recovery in poplar is a biological, energy‐dependent process that coincides with accumulation of sugars in the apoplast during stress. Recovery and damage are spatially coordinated, with embolism formation occurring from the inside out and refilling from the outside in. The outside‐in pattern highlights the importance of xylem proximity to the sugars within the phloem to the embolism recovery process.
ISSN:0028-646X
1469-8137
DOI:10.1111/nph.16912