New methods to study xylem hydraulic properties and embolism in vivo in plants

• Grant number: 17/14075-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: March 01, 2018
• End date: September 30, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Rafael Vasconcelos Ribeiro
• Grantee: Luciano Pereira
• Host Institution: Instituto Agronômico (IAC). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/08596-6 - Radial flow in stems of Acer species: implications for ion-mediated changes in xylem hydraulic conductance, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The soil water deficit is the cause of negative pressure in the xylem, which can result in an abrupt change of the water meta-stable state, forming bubbles and interrupting water transport. Although embolism is well-known to occur, the xylem hydraulic properties that allow the transport of water under negative pressure and the physico-chemical properties that prevent constant embolism formation are poorly understood. One of these properties is the wettability of the xylem wall, which can nucleate or stabilize bubbles. Also, mechanisms that allow the control of hydraulic conductance under negative pressure are not completely known due to the limitations of existing methods. In fact, studies on water transport and embolism are hampered not only by the micro and nanometric scale structures involved but also several embolism artifacts due to handling a sample with water under negative pressure. Thus, in order to better understand the mechanisms that regulate water transport and enable resistance to embolism, new methods are required to minimize or even circumvent possible artifacts and to provide reliable data. We propose here the development of three different methods that will allow us (a) to estimate embolism in vivo, based on the pneumatic method originally developed for measurements of cut branches, (b) to estimate the xylem wettability based on a new hydraulic apparatus described in this project, and (c) to evaluate key factors determining the xylem hydraulic conductance, such as radial conductance and aquaporins. Based on these new methods and approaches, we will reveal the hydraulic properties of orange, coffee and eucalyptus trees, seeking a better understanding of drought resistance in these economic species.

Scientific publications

(10)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PEREIRA, LUCIANO; FLORES-BORGES, DENISELE N. A.; BITTENCOURT, PAULO R. L.; MAYER, JULIANA L. S.; KIYOTA, EDUARDO; ARAUJO, PEDRO; JANSEN, STEVEN; FREITAS, RAUL O.; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; MAZZAFERA, PAULO. Infrared Nanospectroscopy Reveals the Chemical Nature of Pit Membranes in Water-Conducting Cells of the Plant Xylem. Plant Physiology, v. 177, n. 4, p. 1629-1638, AUG 2018. (17/14075-3)

PEREIRA, LUCIANO; BITTENCOURT, PAULO R. L.; PACHECO, VINICIUS S.; MIRANDA, MARCELA T.; ZHANG, YA; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; GROENENDIJK, PETER; MACHADO, EDUARDO C.; TYREE, MELVIN T.; JANSEN, STEVEN; et al. The Pneumatron: An automated pneumatic apparatus for estimating xylem vulnerability to embolism at high temporal resolutionKey-words. PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT, v. 43, n. 1, p. 131-142, JAN 2020. (18/09834-5, 17/14075-3, 18/01847-0, 19/07773-1)

MIRANDA, MARCELA T.; DA SILVA, SIMONE F.; SILVEIRA, NEIDIQUELE M.; PEREIRA, LUCIANO; MACHADO, EDUARDO C.; RIBEIRO, RAFAEL V.. Root Osmotic Adjustment and Stomatal Control of Leaf Gas Exchange are Dependent on Citrus Rootstocks Under Water Deficit. JOURNAL OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATION, v. 40, n. 1, p. 11-19, FEB 2021. (16/02199-7, 17/14075-3, 15/14817-4, 16/11906-9)

PEREIRA, LUCIANO; BITTENCOURT, PAULO R. L.; ROWLAND, LUCY; BRUM, MAURO; MIRANDA, MARCELA T.; PACHECO, VINICIUS S.; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; MACHADO, EDUARDO C.; JANSEN, STEVEN; RIBEIRO, RAFAEL, V. Using the Pneumatic method to estimate embolism resistance in species with long vessels: A commentary on the article "A comparison of five methods to assess embolism resistance in trees". FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, v. 479, p. 3-pg., 2021-01-01. (18/09834-5, 17/14075-3)

PEREIRA, LUCIANO; BITTENCOURT, PAULO R. L.; ROWLAND, LUCY; BRUM, MAURO; MIRANDA, MARCELA T.; PACHECO, VINICIUS S.; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; MACHADO, EDUARDO C.; JANSEN, STEVEN; RIBEIRO, V, RAFAEL. Using the Pneumatic method to estimate embolism resistance in species with long vessels: A commentary on the article ``A comparison of five methods to assess embolism resistance in trees{''}. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, v. 479, JAN 1 2021. (17/14075-3, 18/09834-5)

PEREIRA, LUCIANO; MIRANDA, MARCELA T.; PIRES, GABRIEL S.; PACHECO, VINICIUS S.; GUAN, XINYI; KAACK, LUCIAN; KARIMI, ZOHREH; MACHADO, EDUARDO C.; JANSEN, STEVEN; TYREE, MELVIN T.; et al. A semi-automated method for measuring xylem vessel length distribution. THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, v. 32, n. 4, p. 331-340, DEC 2020. (18/09834-5, 19/15276-8, 17/14075-3)

PEREIRA, LUCIANO; RIBEIRO, RAFAEL VASCONCELOS. Radial stem flow and its importance when measuring xylem hydraulic conductance. THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, v. 30, n. 2, p. 71-75, JUN 2018. (17/14075-3)

BITTENCOURT, PAULO R. L.; PEREIRA, LUCIANO; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.. Pneumatic Method to Measure Plant Xylem Embolism. BIO-PROTOCOL, v. 8, n. 20, OCT 20 2018. (11/52072-0, 17/14075-3)

TRABI, CHRISTOPHE L.; PEREIRA, LUCIANO; GUAN, XINYI; MIRANDA, MARCELA T.; BITTENCOURT, PAULO R. L.; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; RIBEIRO, V, RAFAEL; JANSEN, STEVEN. A User Manual to Measure Gas Diffusion Kinetics in Plants: Pneumatron Construction, Operation, and Data Analysis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE, v. 12, JUN 7 2021. (17/14075-3, 18/09834-5, 19/15276-8)

JANSEN, S.; GUAN, X.; KAACK, L.; TRABI, C.; MIRANDA, M. T.; RIBEIRO, R., V; PEREIRA, L.; HOLTTA, T; SALMON, Y. The Pneumatron estimates xylem embolism resistance in angiosperms based on gas diffusion kinetics: a minireview. XI INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON SAP FLOW, v. 1300, p. 8-pg., 2020-01-01. (17/14075-3, 18/09834-5)