Emile Caroline Silva Lopes1,2, Weverton Pereira Rodrigues2, Katherine Ruas Fraga2, José Altino Machado Filho2,3, Jefferson Rangel da Silva2,4, Mara Menezes de Assis-Gomes2, Fabio Afonso Mazzei Moura Assis Figueiredo5, Peter M Gresshoff6, Eliemar Campostrini2. 1. Setor de Fisiologia Vegetal, Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, CEP, Ilhéus, Bahia, Braz il. 2. Setor de Fisiologia Vegetal, LMGV, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Agropecuárias, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 3. Instituto Capixaba de Pesquisa, Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural, Vitória, ES, Brazil. 4. Centro de Citricultura Sylvio Moreira, Instituto Agronômico, Cordeirópolis, São Paulo, Brazil. 5. Departamento de Zootecnia, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil. 6. Integrative Legume Research Group, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although hypernodulating phenotype mutants of legumes, such as soybean, possess a high leaf N content, the large number of root nodules decreases carbohydrate availability for plant growth and seed yield. In addition, under conditions of high air vapour pressure deficit (VPD), hypernodulating plants show a limited capacity to replace water losses through transpiration, resulting in stomatal closure, and therefore decreased net photosynthetic rates. Here, we used hypernodulating (nod4) (282.33 ± 28.56 nodules per plant) and non-nodulating (nod139) (0 nodules per plant) soybean mutant lines to determine explicitly whether a large number of nodules reduces root hydraulic capacity, resulting in decreased stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rates under high air VPD conditions. METHODS: Plants were either inoculated or not inoculated with Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens (strain BR 85, SEMIA 5080) to induce nitrogen-fixing root nodules (where possible). Absolute root conductance and root conductivity, plant growth, leaf water potential, gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, leaf 'greenness' [Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) reading] and nitrogen content were measured 37 days after sowing. KEY RESULTS: Besides the reduced growth of hypernodulating soybean mutant nod4, such plants showed decreased root capacity to supply leaf water demand as a consequence of their reduced root dry mass and root volume, which resulted in limited absolute root conductance and root conductivity normalized by leaf area. Thereby, reduced leaf water potential at 1300 h was observed, which contributed to depression of photosynthesis at midday associated with both stomatal and non-stomatal limitations. CONCLUSIONS: Hypernodulated plants were more vulnerable to VPD increases due to their limited root-to-shoot water transport capacity. However, greater CO2 uptake caused by the high N content can be partly compensated by the stomatal limitation imposed by increased VPD conditions.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although hypernodulating phenotype mutants of legumes, such as soybean, possess a high leaf N content, the large number of root nodules decreases carbohydrate availability for plant growth and seed yield. In addition, under conditions of high air vapour pressure deficit (VPD), hypernodulating plants show a limited capacity to replace water losses through transpiration, resulting in stomatal closure, and therefore decreased net photosynthetic rates. Here, we used hypernodulating (nod4) (282.33 ± 28.56 nodules per plant) and non-nodulating (nod139) (0 nodules per plant) soybean mutant lines to determine explicitly whether a large number of nodules reduces root hydraulic capacity, resulting in decreased stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rates under high air VPD conditions. METHODS: Plants were either inoculated or not inoculated with Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens (strain BR 85, SEMIA 5080) to induce nitrogen-fixing root nodules (where possible). Absolute root conductance and root conductivity, plant growth, leaf water potential, gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, leaf 'greenness' [Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) reading] and nitrogen content were measured 37 days after sowing. KEY RESULTS: Besides the reduced growth of hypernodulating soybean mutant nod4, such plants showed decreased root capacity to supply leaf water demand as a consequence of their reduced root dry mass and root volume, which resulted in limited absolute root conductance and root conductivity normalized by leaf area. Thereby, reduced leaf water potential at 1300 h was observed, which contributed to depression of photosynthesis at midday associated with both stomatal and non-stomatal limitations. CONCLUSIONS: Hypernodulated plants were more vulnerable to VPD increases due to their limited root-to-shoot water transport capacity. However, greater CO2 uptake caused by the high N content can be partly compensated by the stomatal limitation imposed by increased VPD conditions.