• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.125-132
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• 2011

Drought is a major limiting factor in turfgrass management. Turfgrass responses to water deficit depend on the amount and the rate of water loss as well as the duration of the stress condition. This review paper was designed to understand responses such as photosynthesis, canopy spectral reflectance, plant cell, root, hormone and protein alteration when turfgrass got drought stress. Furthermore, mechanisms to recover from drought conditions were reviewed in detail. However, there are still many questions regarding plant adaptation to water deficit. It is not clear that the mechanism by which plants detect water deficit and transfer that signal into adaptive responses. Turfgrass research should focus on the best management practices such as how to enhance the ability of self-defense mechanism through understanding plant responses by environmental stress.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.273-282
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• 2008

The relationship between water deficit stress and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) activity was determined in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) leaves under water stress condition imposed by with-holding water for 72 hrs. Relative water content determined in water deficit stressed lettuce leaves gradually reduced from 91.29% to 74.58%, and water content of medium drastically decreased 4.73% after quitting of irrigation. Hydrogen peroxide content in leaves subjected to water deficit stress rapidly increased, but soluble protein content rapidly decreased when those were compared to control plant. The relationship between relative water content and hydrogen peroxide content in stressed leaves positively correlated with $R^2$=0.8851, but soluble protein content reversely correlated with $R^2$=0.9826. Total chlorophyll content in stressed plant leaves was higher than that of control plant, and increased rapidly in early stage of treatment of both stressed and control plants. Carotenoid content was higher than that of control plant, and the ratio of carotenoid to total chlorophyll in stressed plant was higher as compared to control plant. As water deficit stress continued progressively, total ascorbate content in stressed plant leaves was a little higher than that of control plant. But dehydroascorbate (DHA) content within 6 hr of water deficit stress was higher than that of control plant, and then, content of control plant in 12 hr of stress treatment higher than that of stressed leaves. The activity of monodehydroascorbate reductase of cytosolic and chloroplastic tractions increased dramatically, and mRNA of MDHAR was highly detected by probing $^{32}P$-labeled single stranded MDHAR RNA of lettuce plant leaves subjected to water deficit stress. Relationship between MDHAR activity and relative water content and hydrogen peroxide highly correlated with $R^2$=0.9937 and 0.8645, respectively.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.11 no.11
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• pp.1165-1172
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• 2002

The effects of salicylic acid(SA) and water deficit on growth and proline accumulation were investigated in cucumber(Cucurmis sativus L.) seedlings. Exogenous application of SA(100 $\mu$M-1 mM) led to a noticeable decrease in root and shoot growth, and dry weight of seedlings. Anatomical observation on leaf of cucumber revealed that the thickness of all leaf tissue components decreased in SA-treated plants. The effect was most pronounced on the width of the adaxial epidermis. In the separate effects of SA(0, 100, 500 and 1000 $\mu$M) and water deficit induced by PEG(0, 4.4, 7.0 and 9.6 %) on growth, the water deficit treatments had greater effects on growth traits than SA. Combinations of SA and PEG(SA+PEG) decreased shoot and root dry matter, and root length. Proline increased slightly in SA-treated seedlings, but exhibited a marked increase in water deficit application. Combinations of SA+PEG induced higher proline in both shoots and roots than SA stress alone. Shoots had higher proline than roots. Our data support a role of SA potentiating the osmotic stress response of germinating cucumber seedling.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2014

To investigate lignification process and its physiological significance under water-deficit condition, the responses of peroxidases, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) in relation to leaf water status to the short term of water deficit treatment in the leaves with different maturities in forage rape were measured. The significant decrease in relative water content (RWC) and leaf osmotic potential (${\Psi}{\pi}$) were apparent after 5 d of water-deficit treatment. The activity of guaiacol peroxidase (GPOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APOD), coniferyl alcohol peroxidase (CPOD), and syringaldazine peroxidase (SPOD) was depressed especially in middle and old leaves when compared with that of control leaves. On the other hand, in young leaves, a significant increase in CPOD (+34%) and SPOD (+24%) activity as affected by water-deficit treatment was apparent. The activation of PAL and PPO was observed in middle and old leaves for PAL and in young and middle leaves for PPO. These results suggest that peroxidases in middle and old leaves did not involve in lignification under mild water-deficit stress, whereas CPOD and SPOD in young leaves participate in lignification by a coordination with PAL and PPO to incorporate phenol and lignin into the cell walls.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.66-70
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• 1999

Effects of the enhanced level of L-ascorbic acid (AA) on the water deficit-induced oxidative damage were studied in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings. The seedlings sprayed with 20 to 80 mM L-galactono-${\gamma}$-lactone (GL), a putative precursor of AA, showed 2 to 5-fold higher levels of AA compared with controls. Pretreatment of the seedlings with GL prior to water stress imposition caused virtually no effect on dehydration of tissues during water deficit but substantially mitigated oxidative injury, as accessed by 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, ${\alpha}$-tocopherol, chlorophylls and ${\beta}$-carotene. Proline accumulation during water stress was also significantly lowered in the treated seedlings. In a complementary experiment, AA retarded photodegradation of ${\alpha}$-tocopherol in isolated thylakoids far more efficiently than glutathione. GL in itself did not show any noticeable reactivity toward ${\alpha}$-tocopheroxyl radical. The results demonstrate the antioxidative function of AA in rice seedlings encountering water-limited environments, suggesting a critical role of AA as a defense against oxidative stress in plants.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.255-265
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• 2013

This study was conducted to determine the extent of drought resistance based on physiological responses of Calystegia soldanella under water deficit. In order to investigate the changes of plant growth, stomatal density, photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, the contents of chlorophyll and carotenoid, osmolality, total ion contents, the contents of carbohydrate and proline, C. soldanella was grown under well watered and drought stressed conditions for 12 days. In this study, water-deficit resulted in remarkable growth inhibition of C. soldanella. The effect of water-deficit on plant growth was associated with low osmotic potential of soil. On day 12 after drought treatment, dry weight, relative water contents, number and area of leaves and stem length were lower than those of control. The stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rate were significantly reduced in water stressed plant to regulate inner water contents and $CO_2$ exchange through the stomatal pore. Chlorophyll fluorescence and chlorophyll contents were not different in comparison with the control, indicating that the efficiency of photosystem II was not affected by drought stress. This results could be explained that water-deficit in C. soldanella limits the photosynthetic rate and reduces the plant's ability to convert energy to biomass. A significant increase in total ion contents and osmolality was observed on day 7 and day 12. Accumulation of proline in leaves is associated with the osmotic adjustment in C. soldanella to soil water-deficit. Consequently, this increase in osmolality in water stressed plant can be a result in the increase of ion contents and proline.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.53-62
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• 2002

The objectives of this study were to understand the tolerance mechanism of woody plants to water stress and tolerance changes in relation to mycorrhizal formation. Lespedeza cyrtobotrya Miq. commonly used for erosion control in slopes were raised from seeds and transplanted to 120 plastic pots. Sixty pots received the top soil of a Fraxinus americana forest, while remaining 60 pots received the autoclaved top soil. The forest soil contained 1,200 spores per 100g of arbuscular endomycorrhizal fungus, mostly Glomus sp. The plants were raised outside with regular supply of water and mineral nutrients. Two kinds of water deficit treatment and a control were started at the middle of July : cyclic water deficit treatment with 3 cycles of sequential water stress at the point of xylem water potential of about -0.6, -0.6, and -1.7 MPa and recovery, and non-cyclic water deficit treatment with single water stress at about -1.5 MPa. The non-stressed plants received plenty of water throughout the period. In late August the plants were harvested for measurements of dry weight, N, P, carbohydrate contents, net photosynthesis and superoxide dismutase(SOD) activities. Both cyclic and non-cyclic water deficit treatments reduced dry weight by 60% and 40%, respectively, and reduced nitrogen absorption, while increased SOD activities. Water-stressed plants also showed increased carbohydrate contents in the leaves and lowered stomatal conductance. Mycorrhizal inoculation resulted in an average of 40% infection of roots and 2-3 times increase in P absorption in water-stressed as well as non-stressed plants. Mycorrhizal formation also increased shoot-root ratio. The results that SOD activities of water-stressed plants with mycorrhizal infection were significantly lower than those of non-mycorrhizal plants suggest the possibility of improvement of water-stressed condition by mycorrhizal formation. It was concluded that endomycorrhizal formation increased tolerance of Lespedeza cyrtobotrya seedlings to water stress.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.321-329
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• 1999

The effect of water deficits on soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] could appear on seed quality through changes of morphological plant characteristics. Two Korean genotypes, Hwangkeum (determinate growth habit) and Muhan (indeterminate growth habit), were used to examine the influences of treatment stage and method of water deficit during reproductive growth period on yield and seed quality of soybean. Water deficit at R5 or R6 stages was as damaging to seed quality as double water-deficit treatments at R2+R5 or R2+R6. However, seed from double water-deficit treatment tended to have lower oxidation-reduction potential compare to the corresponding single water-deficit treatment. In comparison with Muhan, Hwangkeum had significantly greater oxidation-reduction potential value. Seed yield per plant in both genotypes depended greatly on seed yield of branches. However, the proportion of number of branch seed to total seed umber in Hwangkeum was increased as the water deficit was applied during later reproductive stage, whereas, in Muhan the proportion was lower. Water-deficit treatments including the single and double water-deficit treatments and non-stressed treatment were able to be classified into five groups for Hwangkeum and four groups for Muhan based on the influences on yield components, number of pod, number of seed, and single seed weight, using principal component analysis. In both genotypes, R2+R5 water-deficit treatment decreased number of pod and seed, but increased single seed weight. On the contrary, R6 or R2+R6 stress increased the pod and seed number, but decreased single seed weight.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.266-274
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• 2010

This study aim to investigate fundamentally the growth and physiological responses of tomato plants in responses to two different levels of water deficit, a weak drought stress (-25 kPa) and a severe drought stress (-100 kPa) in soil. The two levels of water deficit were maintained using a micro-irrigation system consisted of soil sensors for the real-time monitoring of soil water content and irrigation modules in a greenhouse experiment. Soil water contents were fluctuated throughout the 30 days treatment period but differed between the two treatments with the average -47 kPa in -25 kPa set treatment and the -119 kPa in -100 kPa set treatment. There were significant differences in plant height between the two different soil water statuses in plant height without differences of the number of nodes. The plants grown in the severe water-deficit treatment had greater accumulation of biomass than the plants in the weak water-deficit treatment. The severe water-deficit treatment (-119 kPa) also induced greater leaf area and leaf dry weight of the plants than the weak water-deficit treatment did, even though there was no difference in leaf area per unit dry weight. These results of growth parameters tested in this study indicate that the severe drought could cause an adaptation of tomato plants to the drought stress with the enhancement of biomass and leaf expansion without changes of leaf thickness. Greater relative water content of leaves and lower osmotic potential of sap expressed from turgid leaves were recorded in the severe water deficit treatment than in the weak water deficit treatment. This finding also postulated physiological adaptation to be better water status under drought stress. The drought imposition affected significantly on photosynthesis, water use efficiency and stomatal conductance of tomato plants. The severe water-deficit treatment increased PSII activities and water use efficiency, but decreased stomatal conductance than the weak water-deficit treatment. However, there were no differences between the two treatments in total photosynthetic capacity. Finally, there were no differences in the number and biomass of fruits. These results suggested that tomato plants have an ability to make adaptation to water deficit conditions through changes in leaf morphology, osmotic potentials, and water use efficiency as well as PSII activity. These adaptation responses should be considered in the screening of drought tolerance of tomato plants.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.677-686
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• 2013

Edible canna is a productive starch source in some tropical and semitropical regions. In these regions, water deficit stress is one of factors that limit the crop yield. In the present study, we investigated seven physiological indexes and photosynthetic responses of three edible canna (Canna edulis Ker.) cultivars ('PLRF', 'Xingyu-1', and 'Xingyu-2') under 35 days drought stress. Our results indicated that drought treatment caused visible wilting symptoms in all cultivars, especially in 'Xingyu-1'. Coupled with the increase of wilting symptoms, relative water content (RWC) and chlorophyll content decreased progressively, malondialdehyde (MDA) content gradually increased, and key antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) activities increased first and then decreased in all three cultivars. The effect of water stress was more pronounced in 'Xingyu-1' than in 'PLRF' and 'Xingyu-2', and in lower leaves than in upper leaves. In addition, 35 days drought stress also significantly reduced the photosynthetic capacity. Consistent with antioxidant parameters, photosynthetic changes of 'Xingyu-2' were less than those of the other cultivars under water deficit stress. Drought stress caused a significant increase of water use efficiency (WUE) in 'Xingyu-2', but little in 'PLRF', and obvious decrease in 'Xingyu-1'. These results indicated that 'Xingyu-2' was more tolerant to drought stress than 'PLRF' and 'Xingyu-1' by maintaining lower lipid peroxidation and higher antioxidant enzyme activities.