This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Web of Science (76) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Nonami, H. Articles by Boyer, J. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nonami, H. Articles by Boyer, J. S. Agricola Articles by Nonami, H. Articles by Boyer, J. S.

Development and Growth Regulation

Turgor and Growth at Low Water Potentials ¹

College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware, Lewes, Delaware 19958, College of Agriculture, University of Delaware, Lewes, Delaware 19958

Turgor affects cell enlargement but has not been measured in enlarging tissue of intact plants when growth is inhibited by inadequate water. Mature or excised tissue can be problematic for these measurements because turgor may not be the same as in intact enlarging cells. Therefore, we measured the average turgor in the elongating region of intact stems of soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) while the seedlings were exposed to low water potentials by transplanting to vermiculite of low water content. Stem growth was completely inhibited by the transplanting, and the average turgor decreased in the mature stem tissue. However, it did not decrease in the elongating region whether measured in intact or excised tissue (total of four methods). At the cellular level, turgor was uniform in the elongating tissue except at transplanting, when turgor decreased in a small number of cortical cells near the xylem. The reduced turgor in these cells, but constant turgor in most of the cells, confirmed that no general turgor loss had occurred but indicated that gradients in water potential extending from the xylem into the enlarging tissue were reduced, thus decreasing the movement of water into the tissue for cell enlargement. A modest growth recovery occurred after 2 days and was preceded by a recovery of the gradient. This suggests that under these conditions, growth initially was inhibited not by turgor loss but by a collapse of the water potential gradient necessary for the growth process.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. G. Sharp and W. J. Davies Variability among species in the apoplastic pH signalling response to drying soils J. Exp. Bot., November 1, 2009; 60(15): 4363 - 4370. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A.-C. Tang and J. S. Boyer Root pressurization affects growth-induced water potentials and growth in dehydrated maize leaves J. Exp. Bot., November 1, 2003; 54(392): 2479 - 2488. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. E. S. Nunes and G. R. Smith Electrolyte Leakage Assay Capable of Quantifying Freezing Resistance in Rose Clover Crop Sci., July 1, 2003; 43(4): 1349 - 1357. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A.-C. Tang and J. S. Boyer Growth-induced water potentials and the growth of maize leaves J. Exp. Bot., March 1, 2002; 53(368): 489 - 503. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. S. Boyer Growth-induced water potentials originate from wall yielding during growth J. Exp. Bot., July 1, 2001; 52(360): 1483 - 1488. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. G. Marshall and E. B. Dumbroff Turgor Regulation via Cell Wall Adjustment in White Spruce Plant Physiology, January 1, 1999; 119(1): 313 - 320. [Abstract] [Full Text]