To determine the contribution of photosynthesis on stomatal conductance, we contrasted the stomatal red light response of wild-type tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum 'W38') with that of plants impaired in photosynthesis by antisense reductions in the content of either cytochrome b(6)f complex (anti-b/f plants) or Rubisco (anti-SSU plants). Both transgenic genotypes showed a lowered content of the anti...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The influence of stomatal architecture on stomatal conductance and on the developing concentration gradient was explored quantitatively by comparing diffusion rates of water vapour and CO(2) occurring in a set of three-dimensional stoma models. The influence on diffusion of an internal cuticle, a sunken stoma, a partially closed stoma and of substomatal chambers of two diffe...

The initiation of stomata, microscopic valves in the epidermis of higher plants that control of gas exchange, requires a co-ordinated sequence of asymmetric and symmetric divisions, which is under tight environmental and developmental control. Arabidopsis leaves grown under elevated photosynthetic photon flux density have a higher density of stomata. STOMAGEN encodes an epidermal patterning fac...

5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a newly proved natural plant growth regulator, is well known to improve plant photosynthesis under both normal and stressful conditions. However, its underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Stomatal closure is one of the major limiting factors for photosynthesis and abscisic acid (ABA) is the most important hormone in provoking stomatal closing. Here, we showe...

light as an important environmental factor, influences many aspects of plant growth and development. leaves are different in some characters including stomatal behavior under shade or light conditions. in this study, the effects of different levels of light intensity on stomatal behavior of two rose cultivars, ‘gulmira’ and ‘red one’, were evaluated under controlled conditions. to obtain differ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Leaf gas exchange is influenced by stomatal size, density, distribution between the leaf adaxial and abaxial sides, as well as by pore dimensions. This study aims to quantify which of these traits mainly underlie genetic differences in operating stomatal conductance (gs) and addresses possible links between anatomical traits and regulation of pore width. METHODS Stomatal r...

This paper reports how water stress correlates with changes in hydraulic conductivity of stems, leaf midrib, and whole leaves of Prunus laurocerasus. Water stress caused cavitation-induced dysfunction in vessels of P. laurocerasus. Cavitation was detected acoustically by counts of ultrasonic acoustic emissions and by the loss of hydraulic conductivity measured by a vacuum chamber method. Stems ...

In previous studies, we demonstrated that ammonium nutrition enhances the drought tolerance of rice seedlings compared to nitrate nutrition and contributes to a higher root water uptake ability. It remains unclear why rice seedlings maintain a higher water uptake ability when supplied with ammonium under drought stress. Here, we focused on the effects of nitrogen form and drought stress on root...

Light is a major environmental factor required for stomatal opening. Blue light (BL) induces stomatal opening in higher plants as a signal under the photosynthetic active radiation. The stomatal BL response is not present in the fern species of Polypodiopsida. The acquisition of a stomatal BL response might provide competitive advantages in both the uptake of CO2 and prevention of water loss wi...

We merge concepts from stomatal optimization theory and cohesion-tension theory to examine the dynamics of three mechanisms that are potentially limiting to leaf-level gas exchange in trees during drought: (1) a 'demand limitation' driven by an assumption of optimal stomatal functioning; (2) 'hydraulic limitation' of water movement from the roots to the leaves; and (3) 'non-stomatal' limitation...