Abstract
It is clearly established that there is not a unique response to soil water deficit but that there are as many responses as soil water deficit characteristics: Drought intensity, drought duration, and drought position during plant cycle. For a same soil water deficit, responses can also differ on plant genotype within a same species. In spite of this variability, at least for leaf production and expansion processes, robust tendencies can be extracted from the literature when similar watering regimes are compared. Here, we present response curves and multi-scale dynamics analyses established on tomato plants exposed to different soil water deficit treatments. Results reinforce the trends already observed for other species: Reduction in plant leaf biomass under water stress was due to reduction in individual leaf biomass and areas whereas leaf production and specific leaf area were not affected. The dynamics of leaf expansion was modified both at the leaf and cell scales. Cell division and expansion were reduced by drought treatments as well as the endoreduplication process. Combining response curves analyses together with dynamic analyses of tomato compound leaf growth at different scales not only corroborate results on simple leaf responses to drought but also increases our knowledge on the cellular mechanisms behind leaf growth plasticity.
Highlights
Natural ecosystems and crops are severely affected by soil water deficit, which has an impact on plant growth and reproduction [1]
Tomato Leaf Biomass of the First Sympodial Unit Is Affected by the Different Drought Treatments, Mainly
Dose responses between leaf growth, development-related traits, and soil water contents were established to analyze how these traits are affected by drought intensity (Figure 1A,B)
Summary
Natural ecosystems and crops are severely affected by soil water deficit, which has an impact on plant growth and reproduction [1]. Species, and/or genotypes, plants tend to adjust their duration of life cycle (drought escape); their water consumption or water status (drought avoidance) to cope with unfavorable soil water content conditions [4]. These different strategies are not exclusive as for example, adjustments of anatomy and/or physiology often reported for drought avoidance or tolerance strategies may accelerate completion of the life cycle [4]. These behaviors have been well-studied and described when they occur during the plant cycle, but it is known that species that have encountered drought periods for many generations have developed specialized anatomical features as highly suberized roots, sunken stomata, and thick cuticle layer on their laminas [5]
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