Abstract
To quantify the characteristics of the power spectrum of plant electrical signals, we defined the following concepts: spectral edge frequency (SEF), spectral center frequency (SCF), power index (PI) and power spectral entropy (PSE). These parameters were used to examine and quantify changes in the power spectrum of electrical signals in maize leaves under osmotic stress. In the absence of osmotic stress, the SEF of the electrical signal in maize leaves was approx. 0.2 Hz and the SCF was approx. 0.1 Hz. The electrical signal in maize leaves was mainly a slow wave signal with a frequency of 0–0.1 Hz. After 2 h osmotic stress, the SEF and SCF of the electrical signal increased to higher frequencies. The proportion of the fast wave frequency also increased to 0.1–0.2 Hz, resulting in a dramatic increase in PSE. We also found that the changes in PSE and SCF were significantly correlated during osmotic stress. We propose that the changes in the PSE and SCF in maize leaves can be used as a sensitive signal indicating water deficit in leaf cells under osmotic stress. Thus, measurement of SCF or PSE of electrical signals in maize leaves could be used to develop early warning and rapid diagnosis techniques for the water demands of plants.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Fromm J, Lautner S. Electrical signals and their physiological significance in plants. Plant Cell Environ, 2007, 30: 249–257
Gil P, Gurovich L, Schaffer B, et al. Electrical signaling, stomatal conductance, ABA and ethylene content in avocado trees in response to root hypoxia. Plant Signal Behav, 2009, 4: 100–108
Gil P, Gurovich L, Schaffer B, et al. Root to leaf electrical signaling in avocado in response to light and soil water content. Plant Physiol, 2008, 165: 1070–1078
Gurovich L, Hermosilla P. Electrical signaling in fruit trees in response to water applications and light-darkness conditions. Plant Physiol, 2009, 166: 290–300
Trebacz K, Dziubinska H, Krol E. Electrical signals in long-distance communication in plants. In: Baluska F, Mancuso S, Volkmann D, eds. Communication in Plants-Neuronal Aspects of Plant Life. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, 2006. 277–290
Koziolek C, Grams T E E, Schreiber U, et al. Transient knockout of photosynthesis mediated by electrical signals. New Phytol, 2003, 161: 715–722
Masi E, Ciszak M, Stefano G, et al. Spatiotemporal dynamics of the electrical network activity in the root apex. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2009, 106: 4048–4053
Fromm J, Fei H. Electrical signaling and gas exchange in maize plants of drying soil. Sci Plant, 1998, 132: 203–213
Volkov A, Adesina T, Markin V, et al. Kinetics and mechanism of Dionaea muscipula trap closing. Plant Physiol, 2008, 146: 694–702
Lautner S, Erhard T, Matyssek R, et al. Characteristics of electrical signals in poplar and responses in photosynthesis. Plant Physiol, 2005, 198: 2200–2209
Baluska F, Mancuso S, Volkmann D, et al. Root apices as plant command centers: The unique ‘brain-like’ status of the root apex transition zone. Biol Brat, 2004, 59: 1–13
Brenner E D, Stahlberg R, Mancuso S, et al. Plant neurobiology: An integrated view of plant signaling. Sci Trends Plant, 2006, 11: 413–421
Trewavas A. Green plants as intelligent organisms. Sci Trends Plant, 2005, 10: 414–419
Donoho D L. De-noising by soft-thresholding. IEEE Trans Inform Theory, 1995, 41: 613–627
Yan X F, Wang Z Y, Huang L, et al. Research progress on electrical signals in higher plants. Prog Nat Sci, 2009, 19: 531–541
Oyarce P, Gurovich L. Evidence for the transmission of information through electrical potentials in injured avocado trees. Plant Physiol, 2011, 168: 103–108
Datta P, Palit P. Relationship between environmental factors and diurnal variation of bioelectrical potentials of an intact jute plant. Curr Sci Bangalore, 2004, 87: 680–683
Volkov A, Carrell H, Markin V. Biologically closed electrical circuits in Venus flytrap. Plant Physiol, 2009, 149: 1661–1667
Wang Z, Leng Q, Huanga L, et al. Monitoring system for electrical signals in plants in the greenhouse and its applications. Biosyst Eng, 2009, 103: 1–11
Grams T E E, Koziolek C, Lautner S, et al. Distinct roles of electrical and hydraulic signals on the reaction of leaf gas exchange upon re-irrigation in Zea mays L. Plant Cell Environ, 2007, 30: 79–84
Hashimoto Y, Morimoto T, Fukuyama T. Some speaking plant approach to the synthesis of control system in the greenhouse. Acta Hort, 1985, 174: 219–226
Liu X Y, Zhang S M, Wang Y, et al. Characteristics of magnetocardiography and electrocardiography in the time-frequency domain. Chin Sci Bull, 2010, 55: 2091–2098
Alan V O, Alan S W. Translated by Liu S T. Signal and System (in Chinese). Xi’an: Xi’an Jiaotong University Press. 2005. 54–256
Davies E. New functions for electrical signals in plants. New Phytol, 2004, 161: 607–610
Volkov A, Ranatunga D. Plants as environmental biosensors. Plant Signal Behav, 2006, 1: 105–115
Gelli A, Blumwald E. Hyperpolarization-activated Ca2+-permeable channels in the plasma membrane of tomato cells. Membr Biol, 1997, 155: 35–45
Volkov A. Green plants: Electrochemical interfaces. Electroanal Chem, 2000, 483: 150–156
Volkov A, Brown C. Electrochemistry of plant life. In: Volkov A, ed. Plant Electrophysiology: Theory and Methods. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 2006. 437–459
Dziubinska H, Filek M, Koscielniak J, et al. Variation and action potentials evoked by thermal stimuli accompany enhancement of ethylene emission in distant non-stimulated leaves of Vicia faba minor seedlings. Plant Physiol, 2003, 160: 1203–1210
Dziubinska H, Trebacz K, Zawadzki T. Transmission route for action potentials and variation potentials in Helianthus annuus L. Plant Physiol, 2001, 158: 1167–1172
Fell J, Elfadil H, Klave R P, et al. Covariation of spectral and nonlinear EEG measures with alpha biofeedback. Int J Neurosci, 2002, 112: 1047–1057
Kang S Z, Cai H J, Feng S Y. Technique innovation and research fields of modern agricultural and ecological water-saving in the future (in Chinese). Trans CSAE, 2004, 20: 1–6
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
Rights and permissions
This article is published under an open access license. Please check the 'Copyright Information' section either on this page or in the PDF for details of this license and what re-use is permitted. If your intended use exceeds what is permitted by the license or if you are unable to locate the licence and re-use information, please contact the Rights and Permissions team.
About this article
Cite this article
Zhang, X., Yu, N., Xi, G. et al. Changes in the power spectrum of electrical signals in maize leaf induced by osmotic stress. Chin. Sci. Bull. 57, 413–420 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-011-4820-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-011-4820-5