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Ethephon Increases Rubber Tree Latex Yield by Regulating Aquaporins and Alleviating the Tapping-Induced Local Increase in Latex Total Solid Content

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation volume 35, pages 701–709 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

The concentration of phloem solute generally falls from leaves to roots. However, a local increase in latex total solid content (LILTSC) was identified near the tapping cut of rubber trees. To understand the mechanism of ethephon-stimulated latex yield, the formation and ethephon (an ethylene releaser) alleviation of the LILTSC near the tapping cut were examined. It was found that the LILTSC near the tapping cut of a tapped rubber tree was caused by the tapping-accelerated rubber biosynthesis which began following the first tapping and became significant after the fourth tapping. Ethephon stimulation markedly reduced the LILTSC. The latex yield change pattern upon ethephon stimulation was associated with the kinetic change of LILTSC and the decomposition dynamic of ethephon into ethylene. Once the LILTSC was reduced by ethylene release upon ethephon stimulation, the latex yield increased; however, when the ethylene release upon ethephon stimulation receded, the LILTSC was restored and the effect of ethephon stimulation dissipated. The reduction of LILTSC by ethephon stimulation could be ascribed to the translocation property of ethylene in plants and its regulation of aquaporins. Because maximum ethylene release upon tapping-cut-ethephon-application occured close to the tapping cut, the aquaporins were more up-regulated in this region, leading to a reduction of the LILTSC and an increase in latex yield. All these results suggest that the LILTSC near the tapping cut was caused by tapping; the ethephon-induced aquaporin up-regulation and LILTSC reduction are involved in the mechanism of ethephon-promoted latex yield.

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Acknowledgments

FA thanks Deakin University for the provision of a post graduate scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Danzhou Investigation & Experiment Station of Tropical Crops of Ministry of Agriculture, Rubber Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Danzhou, 571737, Hainan, People’s Republic of China

    Feng An, Guishui Xie & Zhi Zou

  2. Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia

    Feng An & Lingxue Kong

  3. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology (Waurn Ponds Campus), Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia

    James Rookes & David Cahill

  4. College of Agronomy, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, Hainan, People’s Republic of China

    Xiuqing Cai

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  1. Feng An
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  7. Lingxue Kong
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Correspondence to Feng An or Lingxue Kong.

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Funding

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (31100460), the Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System (CARS-34), and the Fundamental Research Funds for Rubber Research Institute, CATAS (1630022015013). The funding sources played no role in the study design, data collection, data interpretation, paper writing, and decision to submit the manuscript.

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An, F., Rookes, J., Xie, G. et al. Ethephon Increases Rubber Tree Latex Yield by Regulating Aquaporins and Alleviating the Tapping-Induced Local Increase in Latex Total Solid Content. J Plant Growth Regul 35, 701–709 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-016-9573-6

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