Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mechanisms for the relationships between water-use efficiency and carbon isotope composition and specific leaf area of maize (Zea mays L.) under water stress

  • Original paper
  • Published:
Plant Growth Regulation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The quick assessment approaches for accurately measuring water-use efficiency (WUE) in maize under water stress are important to water-saving agriculture. We investigated how and whether carbon isotope composition (δ 13C) and specific leaf area (SLA) could be used to assess WUE for maize as influenced by water stress. A pot experiment was conducted twice during six typical maize (Zea mays) growth stages of seedling, jointing, booting, tasseling, filling and maturity, respectively. The ratio between the activities of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase decreased bundle sheath leakiness (φ) under water deficiency, caused more 13C to be assimilated, and resulted in increased δ 13C in leaves. Water stress increased the fractionation of 13C when assimilates were transported from leaf to stem, indicating that water stress affected leaf expansion and translocation of assimilates from leaf to stem, and resulted in thicker leaves and lower SLA. WUE showed significant positive correlations with leaf δ 13C and SLA, implying that leaf δ 13C and SLA could effectively reflect the drought adaptation and high WUE under different water conditions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Blanke MM, Ebert G (1992) Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and carbon economy of apple seedling. J Exp Bot 252:965–968

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowman WD, Hubick KT, von Caemmerer S, Farquhar GD (1989) Short-term changes in leaf carbon isotope discrimination in salt- and water-stress C4 grasses. Plant Physiol 90:162–166

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Camp PJ, Huber SC, Burke JJ, Moreland DE (1982) Biochemical changes that occur during senescence of wheat leaves. Plant Physiol 70:1641–1646

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chaves MM, Pereira JS, Maroco J, Rodriques ML, Ricardo CP, Osório ML, Carvalho I, Faria T, Pinheiro C (2002) How plants cope with water stress in the field? Photosynthesis and growth. Ann Bot 89:907–916

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dingkuhn M, Farquhar GD, De Datta SK, O’Toole JC (1991) Discrimination of 13C among upland rices having different water use efficiencies. Aust J Agric Res 42:1123–1131

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Farquhar GD (1983) On the nature of carbon isotope discrimination in C4 species. Aust J Plant Physiol 10:205–226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Farquhar GD, Ehleringer JR, Hubick KT (1989) Carbon isotope discrimination and photosynthesis. Ann Rev Plant Phys Plant Mol Biol 40:503–537

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fotovat R, Valizadeh M, Toorchi M (2007) Association between water-use efficiency components and total chlorophyll content (SPAD) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under well-watered and drought stress conditions. J Food Agric Environ 5:225–227

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fravolini A, Williams DG, Thompson TL (2002) Carbon isotope discrimination and bundle sheath leakiness in three C4 subtypes grown under variable nitrogen, water and atmospheric CO2 supply. J Exp Bot 53:2261–2269

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hattersley PW, Roksandic Z (1983) δ13C values of C3 and C4 species of Australian Neurachne and its allies (Poaceae). Aust J Bot 3:317–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson SA, von Caemmerer S, Farquhar GD (1992) Short-term measurements of carbon isotope discrimination in several C4 species. Aust J Plant Physiol 19:263–285

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hubbard RM, Ryan MG, Stiller V, Sperry JS (2001) Stomatal conductance and photosynthesis vary linearly with plant hydraulic conductance in ponderosa pine. Plant Cell Environ 24:113–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu C, Li C, Liang D, Ma F, Wang S, Wang P, Wang R (2013) Aquaporin expression in response to water-deficit stress in two Malus species: relationship with physiological status and drought tolerance. Plant Growth Regul 70:187–197

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Madhavan S, Treichel I, O’Leary MH (1991) Effects of relative humidity on carbon isotope fractionation in plants. Bot Acta 104:292–294

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meinzer FC, Rundel PW, Goldstein G, Sharifi MR (1992) Carbon isotope composition in relation to leaf gas exchange and environmental conditions in Hawaiian Metrosideros polymorpha populations. Oecologia 91:305–311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monneveux P, Sheshshayee MS, Akhter J, Ribaut JM (2007) Using carbon isotope discrimination to select maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines and hybrids for drought tolerance. Plant Sci 173:390–396

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saliendra NZ, Meinzer FC, Perry M, Thom M (1996) Association between partitioning of carboxylase activity and bundle sheath leakiness to CO2, carbon isotope discrimination, photosynthesis, and growth in sugarcane. J Exp Bot 47:907–914

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saranga Y, Flash I, Yakir D (1998) Variation in water-use efficiency and its relation to carbon isotope ratio in cotton. Crop Sci 38:782–787

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun ZJ, Livingston NJ, Guy RD, Ethier GJ (1996) Stable carbon isotopes as indicators of increased water use efficiency and productivity in white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) seedlings. Plant Cell Environ 19:887–894

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogel JC (1993) Variability of carbon isotope fractionation during photosynthesis. In: Ehleringer J, Hall A, Farqubar G (eds) Stable isotopes and plant carbon-water relations. Academic Press Inc, California, pp 29–46

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • von Caemmerer S, Ghannoum O, Pengelly JJL, Cousins AB (2014) Carbon isotope discrimination as a tool to explore C4 photosynthesis. J Exp Bot 65:3459–3470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walley FL, Lafond GP, Matus A, van Kessel C (1999) Water-use efficiency and carbon isotopic composition in reduced tillage systems. Soil Sci Soc Am J 63:356–361

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams DG, Gempko V, Fravolini A, Leavitt SW, Wall GW, Kimball BA, Pinter PJ Jr, Lamorte R, Ottman M (2001) Carbon isotope discrimination by Sorghum bicolor under CO2 enrichment and drought. New Phytol 150:285–293

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wright GC, Hubick KT, Farquhar GD (1988) Discrimination in carbon isotopes of leaves correlates with water use efficiency of field grown peanut cultivars. Aust J Plant Physiol 15:815–825

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright GC, Nageswara RC, Farquhar GD (1994) Water-use efficiency and carbon isotope discrimination in peanut under water deficit conditions. Crop Sci 34:92–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yandigeri MS, Meena KK, Singh D, Malviva N, Singh DP, Solanki MK, Yadav AK, Arora DK (2012) Drought-tolerant endophytic actinobacteria promote growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum) under water stress conditions. Plant Growth Regul 68:411–420

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao BZ, Kondo M, Maeda M, Ozaki Y, Zhang JB (2004) Water-use efficiency and carbon isotope discrimination in two cultivars of upland rice during different developmental stages under three water regimes. Plant Soil 261:61–75

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Strategic pilot and technology special funds of the Chinese Academy of science (XDA05050502, XDB15030302), National Basic Research Program (973 Program) (2014CB954500), National Natural Science Foundation of China (41471182), Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISSASIP1118), and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK2011884). The authors are also immensely grateful to the two anonymous reviewers whose comments and suggestions have greatly helped in improving the standard of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Experimental Station of Agro-Ecosystem in Fengqiu, State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, People’s Republic of China

    Congzhi Zhang, Jiabao Zhang, Hui Zhang, Jinhua Zhao, Qicong Wu, Zhanhui Zhao & Taiyi Cai

  2. Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Arable Land Conservation of Jiangsu Province, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing, 210014, People’s Republic of China

    Hui Zhang

Authors
  1. Congzhi Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jiabao Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hui Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jinhua Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Qicong Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Zhanhui Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Taiyi Cai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiabao Zhang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, C., Zhang, J., Zhang, H. et al. Mechanisms for the relationships between water-use efficiency and carbon isotope composition and specific leaf area of maize (Zea mays L.) under water stress. Plant Growth Regul 77, 233–243 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-015-0056-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-015-0056-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation