Abstract
The osmotolerance, rather than the halotolerance, of the endosymbiont predicted the xerotolerance of acetylene reduction by Alnus nodulated withFrankia ARgP5AG. Cloned plants ofAlnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. AG8022-16 were subjected to water stress under controlled conditions in an environmental growth chamber. Transpiration, stomatal conductance, and leaf water potential had decreased after successive 10 day periods of moderate (75% of water demand) and severe (50% of water demand) water stress. After severe stress had wilted the plants, reducing leaf water potential to −2.10 MPa, nitrogenase activity had fallen to 2.51 μM per plant per hour. The reported rapid turnover of nitrogenase implies thatFrankia mycelium was metabolically active at this low water potential, a water potential at which no Alnus-derivedFrankia has been reported active. Although ARgP5AG was similar to other such strains in halotolerance (lower limitca.−1.25 MPa), the low water potential limit for growth with glucose (a non-assimilated osmoticum) wasca.−2.53 MPa. Nitrogenase activity was apparently more limited by host xerotolerance than by endophyte xerotolerance.
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Journal article J-5400 of the Oklahoma Agriculture Experiment Station, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA.
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Hennessey, T.C., Vishniac, H.S., Lorenzi, E.M. et al. Dinitrogen fixation in a water-stressed Alnus clone is limited by host xerotolerance. Plant Soil 118, 89–96 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02232793
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02232793