Leaf aquaporin transcript abundance in peanut genotypes diverging in expression of the limited-transpiration trait when subjected to differing vapor pressure deficits and aquaporin inhibitors.

A plant trait currently being exploited to decrease crop yield loss under water-deficit conditions is limited-transpiration rate (TRlim ) under high atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD) conditions. Although limited genotype comparisons for the TRlim trait have been performed in peanut (Arachis hypogaea), no detailed study to describe the basis for this trait in peanut has been reported. Since it has been hypothesized that the TRlim trait may be a result of low leaf hydraulic conductance associated with aquaporins (AQPs), the first objective of this study was to examine a possible correlation of TRlim to leaf AQP transcriptional profiles in six peanut cultivars. Five of the studied cultivars were selected because they expressed TRlim while the cultivar York did not. Transcripts of six AQPs were measured. Under exposure to high vapor pressure deficit, cultivar C 76-16 had decreased AQP transcript abundance for four of the six AQPs but in York only one AQP had decreased abundance. The second objective was to explore the influence of AQP inhibitors mercury and silver on expression of TRlim and AQP transcription profiles. Quantitative RT-PCR data were compared in cultivars York and C 76-16, which had the extreme response in TR to VPD. Inhibitor treatment resulted in increased abundance of AQP transcripts in both. The results of these experiments indicate that AQP transcript abundance itself may not be useful in identifying genotypes expressing the TRlim trait under high VPD conditions.

Leaf expansion of soybean subjected to high and low atmospheric vapour pressure deficits.

Vapour pressure deficit (VPD) is considered an important environmental factor that might affect leaf expansion and transpiration rate (TR) in plants. Two slow-wilting soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) genotypes PI 416937 and PI 471938 along with commercial cultivar Hutcheson were subjected to low (1.2-1.6 kPa) and high VPD (2.8-3 kPa) environments to study their leaf expansion and TR over five days. Among the three genotypes, PI 416937 had the lowest increase in its TR (34%) at high VPD compared with low VPD and the greatest decrease in leaf area (31%). In contrast, Hutcheson had the highest increase in TR (87%) under high VPD and the lowest decrease in leaf expansion rate (18%). Expansin and extensin genes were isolated in PI 416937 to determine if changes in leaf expansion were associated with changes at the molecular level. The four studied genes were all suppressed after five days in the high VPD environment.

Differential antioxidative responses in transgenic peanut bear no relationship to their superior transpiration efficiency under drought stress.

To counter the effects of environmental stresses, the plants must undergo detoxification that is crucial to avoid the accumulation of damaging free oxygen radicals (ROI). Here, we detail the oxidative damage, the antioxidant composition, and the osmoprotection achieved in transgenic plants of peanut overexpressing the AtDREB1A transgene, driven by a stress-inducible promoter (Atrd29A) when exposed to progressive water stress conditions. This study explored the biochemical mechanisms where (i) the antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APOX), and glutathione reductase (GR) accumulated in the transgenic plants at comparably higher levels than their untransformed counterparts under dry soil conditions, (ii) a significant increase in the proline levels in the transgenic plants was observed in dry soils, and (iii) a dramatic increase in the lipid peroxidation in the untransformed controls in drier soils. Most of the biochemical parameters related to the antioxidative machinery in the tested peanut transgenics were triggered by the overexpression of AtDREB1A that appeared to differ from the untransformed controls. The antioxidants showed a negative correlation with the fraction of transpirable soil water (FTSW) thresholds, where the normalized transpiration rate (NTR) started decreasing in the tested plants. However, no significant relationship was observed between any of these biochemical indicators and the higher transpiration efficiency (TE) values found in the transgenic events. Our results show that changes in the antioxidative machinery in these transgenic peanut plants (overexpressing the AtDREB1A transcription factor) under water-limiting conditions played no causative role in improved TE.

Stress-inducible expression of At DREB1A in transgenic peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) increases transpiration efficiency under water-limiting conditions.

Water deficit is the major abiotic constraint affecting crop productivity in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). Water use efficiency under drought conditions is thought to be one of the most promising traits to improve and stabilize crop yields under intermittent water deficit. A transcription factor DREB1A from Arabidopsis thaliana, driven by the stress inducible promoter from the rd29A gene, was introduced in a drought-sensitive peanut cultivar JL 24 through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer. The stress inducible expression of DREB1A in these transgenic plants did not result in growth retardation or visible phenotypic alterations. T3 progeny of fourteen transgenic events were exposed to progressive soil drying in pot culture. The soil moisture threshold where their transpiration rate begins to decline relative to control well-watered (WW) plants and the number of days needed to deplete the soil water was used to rank the genotypes using the average linkage cluster analysis. Five diverse events were selected from the different clusters and further tested. All the selected transgenic events were able to maintain a transpiration rate equivalent to the WW control in soils dry enough to reduce transpiration rate in wild type JL 24. All transgenic events except one achieved higher transpiration efficiency (TE) under WW conditions and this appeared to be explained by a lower stomatal conductance. Under water limiting conditions, one of the selected transgenic events showed 40% higher TE than the untransformed control.