Combined efects of drought and simulated pathogen attack on root exudation rates of tomatoes
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Author
Yang, Kaijun
Llusià, Joan
Barbro Winkler, Jana
Schnitzler, Jörg-Peter
Peñuelas, Josep
Publication date
2023-12-14ISSN
0032-079X
Abstract
Background and aims
Food production is threatened by direct climate change effects including drought. Indirect effects, including changes in plant-pathogen dynamics and increased susceptibility to pathogens, further exacerbate the risks. Root exudation, which plays a crucial role in plant defence against drought and pathogens, is influenced by both water stress and pathogens. However, the interactive effects of these abiotic and biotic factors are rarely studied.
Methods
We conducted a controlled environment experiment to investigate the effects of moderate drought and simulated pathogen attack (using pipecolic acid, an inducer of systemic acquired resistance) on the rates of root exudation of total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) of four tomato cultivars grown in potting soil.
Results
Drought increased the exudation of TOC and TN per unit of root area, while pipecolic acid did not have any significant effect. Furthermore, there was no interaction observed between the abiotic and biotic factors. However, due to the reduction in plant and root biomass caused by drought, the total exudation per plant remained similar between control and water-limited plants. Additionally, pipecolic acid reduced the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of exudates and increased the total exudation of TN.
Conclusion
The increased exudation observed in drought-stressed plants may serve as a strategy to maintain root and rhizosphere activity despite reduced root growth. Notably, the impact of drought differed among the tested cultivars, highlighting their diverse levels of drought tolerance. This emphasises the importance of preserving a wide range of crop cultivars to ensure food security under increasing drought.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
633 - Field crops and their production
Pages
17
Publisher
Springer
Is part of
Plant and Soil
Citation
Preece, Catherine, Kaijun Yang, Joan Llusià, Jana Barbro Winkler, Jörg-Peter Schnitzler, and Josep Peñuelas. 2023. "Combined effects of drought and simulated pathogen attack on root exudation rates of tomatoes". Plant and Soil. doi:10.1007/s11104-023-06421-9.
Grant agreement number
EC/H2020/731013/EU/European Plant Phenotyping Network 2020/EPPN2020
MICINN/Programa Estatal para impulsar la investigación científico-técnica y su transferencia/TED2021-132627B-I00/ES/Desentrañar y aportar soluciones para mitigar y adaptarse a los cambios en los elementomas de los organismos, comunidades y ecosistemas/NUTRIARID
Program
Sostenibilitat en Biosistemes
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2555]
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/