Abstract
The C3 plant Calotropis procera is native to arid desert zones with a pan-tropical distribution. For this species, the leaf mesophyll conductance (gm) and stomatal limitation (ls) represent significant constraints on the photosynthetic rate (A), and leaf anatomical and structural traits have a direct influence on the maintenance of photosynthetic activity under water deficit conditions. In this study, gm, ls, A, stomatal conductance (gs), and the anatomical and structural leaf traits of C. procera were measured to clarify their responses under salt stress conditions. We found that leaf anatomical and structural traits varied significantly i.e. stomatal density, mesophyll thickness, trichome density and epidermal thickness. At the beginning of the stress imposition, gm was maintained, ls increased, and mesophyll limitation (lmc) decreased. In salt-stressed plants reduced gs did not represent an immediate decrease in A. Anatomical and structural features of new leaves attenuate the effects of ls on CO2 conductance inside the leaves and maintain water status. C. procera maintains photosynthetic metabolism even when showing high leaf Na+ concentration, which does not damage the photosynthetic apparatus.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) [Grant Number CNPq-470247/2013-4]. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brazil (CAPES), Finance Code 001. M.G.S. acknowledges CNPq for the fellowship.
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Supplementary file1 (PDF 113 kb)—Figure 1 Supp. Calotropis procera plants 5 months after germination and 7 days after the start of stress with saline solution (100 mM NaCl) applied daily. Stressed plants 1 and 3; Control plants 2 and 4, when measuring the A/Ci curves. In plants under stress, the onset of senescence of older leaves at the base of the stem and the growth of new leaves at the apex.
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Rivas, R., Santos, M.G. The desert plant Calotropis procera maintains C3 photosynthetic metabolism under salt stress. Theor. Exp. Plant Physiol. 35, 1–16 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40626-022-00265-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40626-022-00265-x