Abstract
Drought stress causes changes in vein and stomatal density. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) if the changes in vein and stomatal density are coordinated in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and (2) how these changes affect water-use efficiency (WUE). The results showed significant positive correlations between vein density and stomatal density when cotton was grown under different degrees of drought stress. WUE was significantly positively correlated with the densities of both veins and stomata. Stomatal pore area and stomatal density on the abaxial leaf side, but not the adaxial side, were significantly correlated with WUE, stomatal conductance, leaf net photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate. In conclusion, coordinated changes in vein and stomatal density improve the WUE of cotton under drought stress. The abaxial leaf side plays a more important role than the adaxial side in WUE and gas exchange.
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Abbreviations
- C i :
-
intercellular CO2 concentration
- E :
-
transpiration rate
- gs:
-
stomatal conductance
- MS:
-
mild drought stress
- MDS:
-
moderate drought stress
- LMA:
-
leaf dry mass per area
- P N :
-
net photosynthetic rate
- WUE:
-
water-use efficiency
- WUEi :
-
intrinsic water-use efficiency
- WW:
-
well-watered treatment
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Acknowledgements: This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U1303183), by the Fok Ying-Tong Education Foundation (Grant No.141023).
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Lei, Z.Y., Han, J.M., Yi, X.P. et al. Coordinated variation between veins and stomata in cotton and its relationship with water-use efficiency under drought stress. Photosynthetica 56, 1326–1335 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-018-0847-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-018-0847-z