Applications of Xerophytophysiology and Signal Transduction in Plant Production—Flower Qualities in Eustoma grandiflorum Were Improved by Sub-Irrigation

Hui-Lian Xu (), Jianfang Bai (), Saneyuki Kawabata and Tingting Chang
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Hui-Lian Xu: School of Biological Science and Technology, The University of Jinan, Jinan 250024, China
Jianfang Bai: School of Biological Science and Technology, The University of Jinan, Jinan 250024, China
Saneyuki Kawabata: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
Tingting Chang: College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: Relatively mild xerophytic or hardening treatments can induce healthy development of plants. In the present study, as one of xerophytophysiological applications, sub-irrigation was applied to a flower plant of Eustoma grandiflorum to confirm whether the sub-irrigation improved flowering quality in addition to plant growth and physiology. As shown by the results, long-term sub-irrigation induced osmotic adjustment, with osmolyte concentration increasing 32.8 osmol m −3 ( p ≤ 0.01), improved leaf photosynthetic activities, with more than 10% ( p ≤ 0.05) increase in photosynthetic capacity, and promoted plant growth, with a shoot biomass increase by 27.5% ( p ≤ 0.01) and a root increase by 50.5% ( p ≤ 0.01). These improvements were attributed to turgor maintenance and cell water re-compartmentation into the symplasm, which were both the consequence of osmotic adjustment. The lower osmotic potential and lower relative leaf water potential at incipient plasmolysis suggested that plants in sub-irrigation plots might be more resistant to environmental stresses. Sub-irrigation also improved flower quality shown by increased anthocyanin concentration (16% up, p ≤ 0.01). Flower quality improvement might be attributed to up-regulation of the PAL gene, which could catalyze the synthesis of anthocyanins. PAL gene up-regulation might be associated with a concentration increase in salicylic acid (SA), which was suggested as a plant hormone for signaling. Sub-irrigation also affected the flower opening and closing oscillations with less changed opening size or oscillation amplitude. We adopted mathematical models and thoroughly analyzed dynamic changes in photosynthesis, plant growth, and flower opening oscillations. In conclusion, sub-irrigation was a feasible practice and could be used in E. grandiflorum culture to improve plant growth and flower opening quality.

Keywords: circadian clock; Eustoma grandiflorum; flower opening; mathematical model; oscillation; osmotic adjustment; PAL (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase); salicylic acid; turgor potential; xerophytophysiology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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