Tiago Massi Ferraz

Brassinosteroid analogue affects the senescence in two papaya genotypes submitted to drought stress

Brassinosteroids (BS) application is associated with the increase of tolerance to some kinds of stresses, such as those induced by the infection of pathogens, temperature, salt and water deficiency. In this work, the influence of a spirostanic analogue of brassinosteroid (SAB) in the leaves of papaya Golden and UENF/CALIMAN 01 (UC 01) was tested to evaluate alterations in the content of chlorophyll in plants submitted to drought stress (DS). When plants were 70 d old, SAB was applied (0,1 mg L-1) for five consecutive days in half of the plants meant for the experiment. The treatments were: control irrigated (I), I with SAB (IB), DS and DS with SAB (DSB). The evaluated leaves were marked in accordance to the age: LEAF 1 (youngest expanded leaf), LEAF 2 (insertion immediately below LEAF 1) and LEAF 3 (insertion immediately below LEAF 2). The same leaves were used throughtout the experimental period. After the thirteenth day, the chlorophyll contents of DSB (Golden and UC 01) were always lesser than the treatment DS in LEAF 2. The irrigation was restarted in stressed plants on the fifteenth day, followed by new application of SAB (IB and DSB treatments). In Golden plants, DSB showed the lowest values of chlorophyll contents after re-watering, while in UC 01, differences in chlorophyll contents between treatments DS and DSB had not occurred. Alterations in Fv/Fm relation did not occur among the treatments during stress. In genotype UC 01, the irrigated plants showed minor values of Fv/Fm at the end of the experiment, whereas the plants submitted to DS presented increments in this relation in this same time. These results indicate that SAB might have contributed to accelerate the rate of leaf senescence of the oldest leaves of stressed plants, redistributing photoassimilates and other compounds for the youngest leaves.

Leaf application of silicon in young cacao plants subjected to water deficit

The objective of this work was to evaluate the physiological and anatomical traits of plants of a cacao ( Theobroma cacao ) clone in response to water deficit after leaf application of silicon. A randomized complete block design was used, with four replicates, in a 2x3 factorial arrangement of two water regimes (irrigated or nonirrigated) and three silicon concentrations (0.0, 1.5, and 3.0 mg mL -1 ) applied in wettable SiO 2 powder. The plants were evaluated 20 days after the irrigation regimes were applied. The use of SiO 2 increased the stability of cell membranes and the photochemical efficiency of the plants under water deficit. The 1.5 mg mL -1 concentration of SiO 2 increased photosynthetic rate, water use efficiency, and carboxylation efficiency, besides mitigating the effect of oxidative stress. Stomatal density was reduced in nonirrigated plants under the highest concentration of Si. The 1.5 mg mL -1 concentration of Si is considered optimal for the photosynthetic metabolism of young cacao plants under soil water limitation.

Stomatal and photochemical limitations of photosynthesis in coffee (Coffea spp.) plants subjected to elevated temperatures

Abstract. Temperature increase assumes a prominent role in the context of expected climate change because of its significant impact on plant metabolism. High temperature can affect the carbon-assimilation pathway at both stomatal and non-stomatal levels, mainly through stomatal closure and photochemical and biochemical limitations. In general, however, plants have some ability to trigger acclimation mechanisms to cope with stressful conditions, especially if the limitations are imposed in a gradual manner during seasonal change. This study aims at evaluating changes at stomatal and photochemical levels in Coffea arabica and C. canephora under exposure to mild temperature (spring) and high temperature (summer). Potted plants were maintained in a greenhouse, watered to field capacity and subject to natural variations of light, temperature and relative humidity. In C. arabica, exposure to summer conditions decreased photosynthetic rates (A), stomatal conductance (gs) and stomatal density and increased intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) compared with spring values, whereas C. canephora plants maintained similar values in both seasons. However, C. canephora presented lower A and gs during spring than C. arabica. Because photosynthetic capacity (Amax), photosynthetic performance index and membrane permeability were similar between genotypes and seasons, and maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) and photosynthetic pigments were not affected in C. arabica in summer, we conclude that under high temperature conditions, stomatal closure imposes the major limitation on C. arabica photosynthesis in summer. Finally, both coffee genotypes were able to avoid damage to photochemistry pathway under supra-optimal temperatures.