Effect of drought and rewatering on the metabolism of Lupinus albus organs.

Alterations in the metabolism of Lupinus albus organs that result from and subsequently follow a period of severe water deficit (WD) are described. By means of 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), changes in the major metabolites were monitored in several plant organs (leaflets and petiole, roots, stem stele and cortex). During the stress, most of the leaves were lost and the stem functioned as a storage repository of sugars (glucose and sucrose) and amino acids (asparagine and proline). Upon rewatering, lupin plants rapidly re-established the relative water content (RWC) and produced new leaves. However, at the metabolic level, the events seem to be more complex, since proline (a stress related metabolite) disappeared rapidly while sugars and asparagine reached the initial pattern more slowly, particularly in the stem.