Enhanced Resistance of Transgenic Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas Lam.) Plants to Multiple Environmental Stresses Treated with Combination of Water Stress, High Light and High Temperature Stresses

Abstract

Ecophysiological parameters of non-transgenic sweetpotato (NT) and transgenic sweetpotato (SSA) plants were compared to evaluate their resistance to multiple environmental stresses. Stomatal conductance and transpiration rate in NT plants decreased markedly from Day 6 after water was withheld, whereas those values in SSA plants showed relatively higher level during this period. Osmotic potential in SSA plants was reduced more negatively as leaf water potential decreased from Day 8 after dehydration treatment, while such reduction was not shown in NT plants under water stressed condition. SSA plants showed less membrane damage than in NT plants. As water stress and high light stress, were synchronously applied to NT and SSA plants maximal photochemical efficiency of PS II () in NT plants markedly decreased, while that in SSA plants was maintained relatively higher level. This trend of changes in between SSA plants and NT plants was more conspicuous as simultaneously treated with water stress, high light and high temperature stress. These results indicate that SSA plants are more resistive than NT plants to multiple environmental stresses and the enhanced resistive characteristics in SSA plants are based on osmotic adjustment under water stress condition and tolerance of membrane.