Characterisation of the oxygen fluxes in the division, elongation and mature zones of Vitis roots: influence of oxygen availability.

Oxygen fluxes into and from root cells of Vitis rupestris (flooding sensitive), V. riparia (flooding tolerant) and V. vinifera (medium tolerance to flooding) were measured under different levels of O2 availability using a recently developed polarographic O2-selective, vibrating-microelectrode system. The system enables fluxes to be measured with a spatial resolution of 2-3 microm and a temporal resolution of 10 s. No difference in root porosity was found among the genotypes when grown for 30 days in an aerated solution. Under normoxic conditions, O2 influx was characterised by two distinct peaks, one in the division zone and the other in the elongation zone of the roots. This pattern was found in all three species studied, although the fluxes showed a different magnitude. The peak in the elongation zone coincided with maximum relative elemental growth rates. When the energetics of the cell was disturbed by cyanide, both growth and oxygen O2 influxes ceased at the same time. Under hypoxic conditions, V. riparia plants showed a precise strategy directed toward the maintenance of enough O2 for the respiratory needs of mitosis in the apical meristem of the roots. Thus, whereas in the division zone of V. rupestris and V. vinifera, at bulk O2 concentrations of 0.094 mol x m(-3), the O2 influx was reduced by 70.5 and 38.5%, respectively, for V. riparia no variation in the O2 influx was detected down to bulk O2 concentrations of 0.078 mol x m(-3). Moreover, in accordance with the different tolerances of the plants, the Vitis genotypes were found to differ in their radial O2 loss from the adventitious roots when in an O2-free environment. The results are discussed in terms of possible mechanisms of response to anoxia in Vitis species with different tolerances to flooding.