Possible role of growth regulators in adaptation to heat stress affecting partitioning of photosynthates in tomato plants

• Main Authors: Zofia Starck, Elżbieta Cieśla
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Polish Botanical Society 2014-01-01
• Series: Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae
• Subjects: fruits; growth regulators; heat stress; invertase; photosvnthate distribution; tomato
• Online Access: https://pbsociety.org.pl/journals/index.php/asbp/article/view/1553

Tomato plants of two cultivars: Roma - sensitive and Robin - tolerant to heat stress were grown in greenhouse up to the flowering stage and then under controlled environmen­tal conditions. The partitioning of recently fixed 14CO2 by mature tomato leaves was examined as a posteffect of 24-h heat stress (38/25°C day/night) with the interaction of growth regulators (GR) sprayed on the flowers with solution of β-naphthoxyacetic (NOA) and gibberellic (GA3) acid (denoted as NG), or Zeatin + NOA + GA3 (denoted as ZNG). In both cuitivars GR strongly stimulated fruit growth and transport of 14C-photosynthates to the clusters at the expense of vegetative organs. Heat stress decreased export of 14C-phoiosynthates from the blades in plants not treated with GR, but even more in cv. Roma. In Roma plants not treated with GR (with very small fruitlets and fruits) the heat stress retarded 14C-transport just in the petioles, diminishing the 14C-supply to the fruits. Reduction of the current photosynthate supplied to the fruits seems to be causally connected with inhibition of the specific activity of acid invertase in that organ. Growth regulators reduced the negative effect of high temperature - they alleviated depression of 14C-export from the blades and increased invertase activity. 14C-photosynthate transport to the fruits, presumably owing to their higher sink strength, was less affected by heat stress. In Robin plants (which had bigger fruits during the experiment) high temperature depressed 14C-fruit supply only in the NG-series, in contrast to enhacement of 14C-Movement to that sink in the control and ZNG-series. In spite of these facts, after heat stress, the specific activity of acid invertase decreased in all the experimental series, but much less in the GR-treated series. Therefore, in the Robin cv. there was no relation between invertase activity and 14C-mobilization by fruits, as was observed in Roma plants. The possible explanation of the different response of the two cultivars with contrasting sensitivity to heat stress; with special reference to the role of GR; diminishing injury of the plants by high temperature is discussed.