Abstract
The ability to sense and respond effectively to drought stress can be important for plant fitness. Here, phytochrome loss-of-function mutants were grown in dry and moist conditions to examine the role of three photoreceptors (phyA, phyB, and phyE) in stomatal conductance (g ST) and abscisic acid (ABA) concentration. Overall, drought treatment plants had lower g ST than moist treatment plants. However, the wild-type Landsberg erecta line had a less pronounced conductance response to drought treatment than the phytochrome mutants, suggesting a role for phytochrome in suppressing drought tolerance. Phytochrome gene effects were potentially additive for g ST; however, PHYB and PHYE effects were nonadditive for ABA concentration.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Robert A. Sharrock, Garry C. Whitelam, and Kathleen Donohue for the use of the phytochrome mutants. We also thank Carolyn Noble, Donna Sison, Mandy Sulfrian, and Delaine Winkelblech for logistical support. This manuscript benefited from comments by Jim Ebersole, Neil Hausmann, Rhonda Turnell Heschel, Mark Wilson, and three anonymous reviewers. Our research was supported by two faculty-student collaborative research grants provided by Colorado College.
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Boggs, J.Z., Loewy, K., Bibee, K. et al. Phytochromes influence stomatal conductance plasticity in Arabidopsis thaliana . Plant Growth Regul 60, 77–81 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-009-9427-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-009-9427-3