TY - JOUR

T1 - High light aggravates functional limitations of cucumber canopy photosynthesis under salinity

AU - Chen, Tsu Wei

AU - Stützel, Hartmut

AU - Kahlen, Katrin

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). The authors thank Ilona Napp for her help throughout the experiment, Melanie Kielenbeck, Marlena Klug and Emely Petersen for plant digitizing and sample preparation, Marie-Luise Lehmann for chemical analyses and Dr Michael Henke and Magnus Adler for their advices in programming the model.

PY - 2018/4/18

Y1 - 2018/4/18

N2 - Background and Aims Most crop species are glycophytes, and salinity stress is one of the most severe abiotic stresses reducing crop yields worldwide. Salinity affects plant architecture and physiological functions by different mechanisms, which vary largely between crop species and determine the susceptibility or tolerance of a crop species to salinity. Methods Experimental data from greenhouse cucumber (Cucumis sativus), a salt-sensitive species, grown under three salinity levels were interpreted by combining a functional-structural plant model and quantitative limitation analysis of photosynthesis. This approach allowed the quantitative dissection of canopy photosynthetic limitations into architectural and functional limitations. Functional limitations were further dissected into stomatal (L s), mesophyll (L m) and biochemical (L b). Key Results Architectural limitations increased rapidly after the start of the salinity treatment and became stronger than the sum of functional limitations (L s + L m + L b) under high salinity. Stomatal limitations resulted from ionic effects and were much stronger than biochemical limitations, indicating that canopy photosynthesis was more limited by the effects of leaf sodium on stomatal regulation than on photosynthetic enzymes. Sensitivity analyses suggested that the relative importance of salinity effects on architectural and functional limitations depends on light conditions, with high light aggravating functional limitations through salinity effects on stomatal limitations. Conclusions Salinity tolerance of cucumber is more likely to be improved by traits related to leaf growth and stomatal regulation than by traits related to tissue tolerance to ion toxicity, especially under high light conditions.

AB - Background and Aims Most crop species are glycophytes, and salinity stress is one of the most severe abiotic stresses reducing crop yields worldwide. Salinity affects plant architecture and physiological functions by different mechanisms, which vary largely between crop species and determine the susceptibility or tolerance of a crop species to salinity. Methods Experimental data from greenhouse cucumber (Cucumis sativus), a salt-sensitive species, grown under three salinity levels were interpreted by combining a functional-structural plant model and quantitative limitation analysis of photosynthesis. This approach allowed the quantitative dissection of canopy photosynthetic limitations into architectural and functional limitations. Functional limitations were further dissected into stomatal (L s), mesophyll (L m) and biochemical (L b). Key Results Architectural limitations increased rapidly after the start of the salinity treatment and became stronger than the sum of functional limitations (L s + L m + L b) under high salinity. Stomatal limitations resulted from ionic effects and were much stronger than biochemical limitations, indicating that canopy photosynthesis was more limited by the effects of leaf sodium on stomatal regulation than on photosynthetic enzymes. Sensitivity analyses suggested that the relative importance of salinity effects on architectural and functional limitations depends on light conditions, with high light aggravating functional limitations through salinity effects on stomatal limitations. Conclusions Salinity tolerance of cucumber is more likely to be improved by traits related to leaf growth and stomatal regulation than by traits related to tissue tolerance to ion toxicity, especially under high light conditions.

KW - architecture

KW - Canopy photosynthesis

KW - Cucumis sativus

KW - functional-structural plant model

KW - FvCB model

KW - high light

KW - quantitative limitation analysis

KW - salinity

KW - stress combination

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85046166919&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1093/aob/mcx100

DO - 10.1093/aob/mcx100

M3 - Article

C2 - 29028871

AN - SCOPUS:85046166919

VL - 121

SP - 797

EP - 807

JO - Annals of botany

JF - Annals of botany

SN - 0305-7364

IS - 5

ER -