Indian Forester

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Drought Induced Morphological and Biochemical Responses in Casuarina equisetifolia Clones


Affiliations
1 Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education) Coimbatore-641002, Tamil Nadu, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


Casuarina equisetifolia Forst., a high economic value tree crop, supports land reclamation, dune stabilization and shelter belts also. Genetic improvement of the species has led to development of high yielding clones which need to be characterized for effective utilization of the resource in harsh sites. Cuttings of ten clones of Casuarina equisetifolia selected for productivity were grown under potted conditions and subjected to water stress through withdrawal. Comparative morphological and biochemical responses of the clones to drought conditions were studied. The levels of pigments and non-enzymatic antioxidants as well as the activities of antioxidant enzymes were quantified. Results showed significant differences in clones in their response to drought stress with respect to both fresh and dry weights of plants. Among biochemicals, chlorophyll a and b, enzymes catalase and peroxidase did not reveal any significant differences in response to drought. Real water contents in both ischolar_mains and shoots varied under drought stress. There was an increase in both phenols and chlorophyll b contents under drought stress. Furthermore, proline activity reduced in drought treated plants. This was observed in all the clones. It is therefore, obvious that all of these characters play essential roles in the drought tolerance of plants. Clones also exhibited significant differences in their ability to respond to drought stress. Activities of chlorophyll a, peroxidase and a:b ratio were the only parameters which did not differ significantly between clones suggesting their activities to be stable in the species. These results indicate that phenols, chlorophyll activity and proline levels in different tissues could be used as markers of drought tolerance in casuarinas clones. Further, this study emphasized the role of sugars involved in ROS detoxification during drought stress, and identified potential clones for deployment in difficult sites.

Keywords

Drought, Biometrics, Needles, Phenols, Proline.
Font Size

User
About The Authors

Rekha R. Warrier
Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education) Coimbatore-641002, Tamil Nadu
India

M. Bala Iyeswarya
Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education) Coimbatore-641002, Tamil Nadu
India

M. Marians Paul
Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education) Coimbatore-641002, Tamil Nadu
India


Subscription Login to verify subscription
Notifications

  • Ahmad I. and Hellebust J.A. (1988). The relationship between inorganic nitrogen metabolism and proline accumulation in osmoregulatory responses of two euryhaline microalgae. Plant Physiology, 88: 348-354.

  • Ahmed B.C., Ben Rouina B. and Boukhriss M. (2007). Effects of water deficit on olive trees cv. Chemlali under field conditions in arid region in Tunisia. Sci. Hort. doi: 10.1016/j.scienta.2007.03.020.

  • Al Hakimi, Monneveux P. and Galiba G. (1995). “Soluble sugars, proline and relative water content (RWC) as traits for improving drought tolerance and divergent selection for RWC from T. polonicum into T. durum,” Journal of Genetics and Breeding, 49 : 237–244.

  • Albouchi A., Bejaoui Z. and El Aouni M.H. : (2003). Influence of moderate or severe water stress on the growth of Casuarina glauca Sieb. seedlings. Sécheresse, 14 : 137-142.

  • Arnon DI. (1949). Copper enzymes in isolated chloroplasts, polyphenoxidase in Beta vulgaris. Plant Physiology, 24: 1-15.

  • Augé R.M., Kubikova E. and Moore J.L. (2001). Foliar dehydration tolerance of mycorrhizal cowpea, soybean and bush bean. New Phytol.,151:535-541.

  • Azhiri-Sigari T., Yamauchi A., Kamoshita A. and Wade L.J. (2000). Genotypic variation in response of rainfed lowland rice to drought and rewatering: Root growth. Plant Production Science, 3 : 180-188.

  • Bartels D. and Sunkar R. (2005). Drought and salt tolerance in plants. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 24 : 23-58.

  • Bartels D., Ingram J., Chandler J.W., Gallagher L. and Salamini R. (1997). Analysis of cDNA clones encoding sucrose-phosphate synthase in relation to sugar interconversions associated with dehydration in the resurrection plant Craterostigtita plantagineum Hochst. Plant Physiology, 115 : 113-121.

  • Bates L.S. (1973). Rapid determination of free proline for water-stress studies. Plant Soil, 39:205-207.

  • Blum A. (2005). Drought resistance, water-use efficiency, and yield potential—are they compatible, dissonant, or mutually exclusive? Austral. J. Agric. Res., 56: 1159-1168.

  • Bohnert H.J, Nelson D.E. and Jensen R.G. (1995). Adaptations to environmental Stresses. Plant Cell,7 : 1099-1111.

  • Carrasco R.M., Rodriguez J.S., Perez P. (2002). Changes in chlorophyll fluorescence during the course of photoperiod and in response to drought in Casuarina equisetifolia Forst.and Forst. Photosynthetica, 40(3): 363–368.

  • Carvalho M.H. Cruz De. (2008). “Drought stress and reactive oxygen species: production, scavenging and signaling,” Plant Signaling and Behavior, 3(3): 156–165.

  • Chen Youqiang, Ye Bingying, Zhu Jinmao, Dai Rongchun, Lin Ronghua Sheng Ming Ke Xue Yan Jiu. (2000). A quantitative study of water stress on activeoxygen damage in Casuarina Sp. Life Science Research / Hunan Normal University , 4(4):343-350.

  • Cornic G. (2000). Drought stress inhibits photosynthesis by decreasing stomatal aperture - not by affecting ATP synthesis. Trends in plant science, 5: 187-188.

  • Cou´ee, Sulmon C., Gouesbet G. and El Amrani A. (2006). “Involvement of soluble sugars in reactive oxygen species balance and responses to oxidative stress in plants,” J. Experimental Botany, 57(3): 449–459.

  • Delfine S., Alvino A., Loreto F., Centrito M. and Santarelli G. (2000). Effects of water stress on the yield and photosynthesis of field-grown sweet pepper (Capsicum annum L.). Acta Horticuture, 537: 223-229.

  • Dische Z. (1962. “General color reactions,” Methods in Carbohydrate Chemistry, 1: 478–492.

  • Havir E. A.and McHale N.A. (1987). “Biochemical and developmental characterization ofmultiple forms of catalase in tobacco leaves,” Plant Physiology, 84(2): 450–455, 1987.

  • Gong H., Zhu X., Chen K., Wang S. and Zhang C. (2005). Silicon alleviates oxidative damage of wheat plants in pots under drought. Plant Science, 169: 313-321.

  • Hedge J.E. and Hofreiter B.T. (1962). In: Carbohydrate Chemistry, 17 (Eds. Whistler R.L. and Be Miller, J.N.), Academic Press, New York Huang B. and Gao H. (2000). Root physiological characteristics associated with drought resistance in tall fescue cultivars. Crop Science 40: 196-203.

  • Hunag Jin-ta (2011). Variation of Physiological Indices of Seedlings for 15 Clonal Casuarina equisetifolia under Drought Stress.Protection Forest Science and Technology.2011-04.

  • Hung S.H., Yu C.W. and Lin C.H. (2005). Hydrogen peroxide functions as a stress signal in plants. Bot. Bull. Acad. Sinica, 41: 1-10.

  • Iturbe-Ormaetxe I., Escuredo P.R., Arrese-Igor C. and Becana M. (1998). Oxidativedamage in pea plants exposed to water deficit or paraquat. Plant Physiology,116: 173-181.

  • Jagtap V., Bhargava S., Sterb P. and Feierabend J. (1998). Comparative effect of water, heat and light stresses on photosynthetic reactions in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. J. Exp. Bot., 49: 1715-1721.

  • Kaikini D.S. (1937). Noteon Casuarina equisetifolia plantation in Karwar. Indian Forester,63 (10): 661-668.

  • Kang S., Zhang L., Hu X., Li Z. and Jerie P. (2001). An improved water use efficiency for hot pepper grown under controlled alternate drip irrigation on partial ischolar_mains. Horticultural Science 89: 257-267.

  • Kato Y., Abe J., Kamoshita A. and Yamagishi J. (2006). Genotypic variation in ischolar_main growth angle in rice (Oryza sativa L.) and its association with deep ischolar_main development in upland fields with different water regimes. Plant Soil, 287:117-129.

  • Kramer P.J. and Boyer J.S. (1995). WaterRelations of Plants and Soils. Academic Press, New York.

  • Kulkarni M. and Phalke S. (2009). Evaluating variability of ischolar_main size system and its constitutive traits in hot pepper (Capsicum annum L.) under water stress. Scientia Horticulturae, 120: 159-166.

  • Lowry O.H., Rosebrough N.J., Farr A.L. and Randall R.J. (1951) Protein Measurement with the Folin Phenol Reagent. J. Biol. Chem., 193: 265-275

  • Maggio A., Raimondi G., Martino A. and de Pascale S. (2007). Salt stress response in tomato beyond the salinity tolerance threshold. Environ. Exp. Bot., 59: 276-282.

  • Malick C.P. and Singh M.B. (1980). In: Plant Enzymology and Histo Enzymology, Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi, p. 286.

  • Markesteijn L. and Poorter L. (2009). Seedling ischolar_main morphology and biomass allocation of 62 tropical tree species in relation to drought- and shade tolerance. J. Ecology, 97: 311-325.

  • Monakhova O.F. and Chernyad'ev I.I. (2002). Protective role of kartolin-4 in wheat plants exposed to soil drought. Applied Biochemistry and Microbiology, 38: 373-380.

  • Morgan J.M. (1992). “Osmotic components and properties associated with genotypic differences in osmoregulation in wheat”. Austral Journal of Plant Physiology, 19: 67–76.

  • Nageswara R.R.C., Talwar H.S. and Wright G.C. (2001). Rapid assessment of specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) using chlorophyll meter. J. Agron. Crop Sci., 189: 175-182.

  • Nicodemus A. (2007). Genetic improvement of Casuarina equisetifolia through selection and breeding. Envis For. Bull., 7(1): 91-99.

  • Noctor, G. and Foyer, C.H. (1998). Ascorbateand glutathione: keeping active oxygen under control. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol. 49, 249-279.

  • Purseglove J.W. (1978). Tropical Crops, Monocotyledons. Longman, Essex, UK.

  • Ramanjulu S. and Bartels D. (2002). Drought and dessication-induced modulation of gene expression in plants. Plant Cell Environment, 25: 141-151.

  • Reddy A.R., Chaitanya K.V. and Vivekanandan M., (2004). Review: Drought-induced responses of photosynthesis and antioxidant metabolism in higher plants. J. Plant Physiology, 161: 1189-1202.

  • Ruch R.J., Cheng S.J. and Klauning J.E. (1989). Prevention of cytotoxity and inhibition of intercellular communication by antioxidant catechin isolated from Chinese green tea. Carcinogenesis, 10:1003–1008

  • Sairam, R.K., Shukla, D.S. and Saxena, D.C. (1998). Stress-induced injury and antioxidant enzymes in relation to drought tolerance in wheat genotypes. Biology Plant, 40: 357-364.

  • Sharp R.E., Hsiao T.C and Silk W.K. (1988). Growth of the maize primary ischolar_main at low water potentials. I. Spatial distribution of expansive growth. Plant Physiology, 87: 50-57.

  • Stepien P. and Klobus G. (2005). Antioxidant defense in the leaves of C3 and C4 plants under salinity stress. Physiologia Plantarum, 125: 3140.

  • Stover R.H. and Simmonds N.W. (1987). Bananas, third ed. Longman Group Ltd., Essex, UK.

  • Tuna A.L., Kaya C., Dikilitas M. and Higgs D. (2008). “The combined effects of gibberellic acid and salinity on some antioxidant enzyme activities, plant growth parameters and nutritional status inmaize plants,” Envir.and Experi. Botany, 62(1): 1–9,

  • Verbruggen N., Hua X.J., May M. and Van Montagu M. (1996). Environmental and developmental signals modulate proline homeostasis: evidence for a negative transcriptional regulator. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.,USA, 93: 8787-8791.

  • Warrier K.C.S. and Venkataramanan K.S. (2011). Suitable Clones of Casuarina equisetifolia for Sodic Soils in India. In: Improving Smallholder Livelihoods through Improved Casuarina Productivity. (Zhong, C, Pinyopusarerk, K, Kalinganire, A, Franche, C Eds) Proceedings of the 4th International Casuarina Workshop, Haikou, China, China Forestry Publishing House, pp. 194-198.

  • Warrier R.R., Paul M. and Vineetha M.V., (2013b). Estimation of salicylic acid in Eucalyptus leaves using spectrophotometric methods. Genetics and Plant Physiology, 3(1–2): 90–97.

  • Warrier K.C.S., Suganthi A. and Singh B.G. (2013a). A new record of abnormal phylloclad modification in Casuarina equisetifolia. Int. J. Agri. Sci. Research, 2 (1): 8-11.

  • Westgate M.E. and Boyer J.S. (1985). Osmotic adjustment and the inhibition of leaf, ischolar_main, stem and silk growth at low water potentials in maize. Planta, 164: 540-549.

  • Whistler A.H, Whistler A.W. and Craig E. R. Casuarina equisetifolia (beach she-oak) C. cunninghamiana (river she-oak) (2006). Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry (www.traditionaltree.org), 1-16.

  • Wright G.C. and Nageswara Rao R.C., (1994). “Groundnut water relations,” In: The Groundnut Crop. A Scientific Basis for Improvement, (J. Smartt, Ed.), pp. 281–325, Chapman and Hall, London, UK.

  • Wu R. and Garg A. (2003). Engineering rice plants with trehalose producing genes improves tolerance to drought, salt and low temperature. ISB News report, 5-7.

  • Xiong L., Wang R., Mao G. and Koczan J.M. (2006). Identification of drought tolerance determinants by genetic analysis of ischolar_main response to drought stress and abscisic acid. Plant Physiol., 142: 1065-1074.

  • Yancey P.H., Clark M.E., Hand S.C, Bowlus R.D., and Somero G.N. (1982). Living with water stress: Evolution of osmolyte systems. Scietice, 217: 1214-1222.

  • Zhang L.H, Shao H.B, Ye G.F and Lin Y.M. (2012). Effects of fertilization and drought stress on tannin biosynthesis of Casuarina equisetifolia seedlings branchlets. ActaPhysiol Plant. 34:1639–1649.

  • Zhu J.-K. (2001) Plant salt tolerance. Trends in Plant Sci., 6: 66-71

  • Zhu Z., Wei G., Li J., Qian Q. and Yu J. (2005). Silicon alleviates salt stress and increases antioxidant enzymes activity in leaves of salt-stressed cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Plant Science, 167: 527-533.

  • Zidenga T. (2006). Progress in Molecular Approaches to Drought Tolerance in Crop Plants, ISB News Report, http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2006/news06.mar.htm.


Abstract Views: 299

PDF Views: 0




  • Drought Induced Morphological and Biochemical Responses in Casuarina equisetifolia Clones

Abstract Views: 299  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Rekha R. Warrier
Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education) Coimbatore-641002, Tamil Nadu, India
M. Bala Iyeswarya
Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education) Coimbatore-641002, Tamil Nadu, India
M. Marians Paul
Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education) Coimbatore-641002, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract


Casuarina equisetifolia Forst., a high economic value tree crop, supports land reclamation, dune stabilization and shelter belts also. Genetic improvement of the species has led to development of high yielding clones which need to be characterized for effective utilization of the resource in harsh sites. Cuttings of ten clones of Casuarina equisetifolia selected for productivity were grown under potted conditions and subjected to water stress through withdrawal. Comparative morphological and biochemical responses of the clones to drought conditions were studied. The levels of pigments and non-enzymatic antioxidants as well as the activities of antioxidant enzymes were quantified. Results showed significant differences in clones in their response to drought stress with respect to both fresh and dry weights of plants. Among biochemicals, chlorophyll a and b, enzymes catalase and peroxidase did not reveal any significant differences in response to drought. Real water contents in both ischolar_mains and shoots varied under drought stress. There was an increase in both phenols and chlorophyll b contents under drought stress. Furthermore, proline activity reduced in drought treated plants. This was observed in all the clones. It is therefore, obvious that all of these characters play essential roles in the drought tolerance of plants. Clones also exhibited significant differences in their ability to respond to drought stress. Activities of chlorophyll a, peroxidase and a:b ratio were the only parameters which did not differ significantly between clones suggesting their activities to be stable in the species. These results indicate that phenols, chlorophyll activity and proline levels in different tissues could be used as markers of drought tolerance in casuarinas clones. Further, this study emphasized the role of sugars involved in ROS detoxification during drought stress, and identified potential clones for deployment in difficult sites.

Keywords


Drought, Biometrics, Needles, Phenols, Proline.

References