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Adaptation of Plants to Environmental Changes: Light and Temperature in Plant Development

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 35333

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Dr. Gabriela Toledo-Ortiz

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Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
Interests: light signaling; light-temperature signal integration; photoreceptors; light control of metabolism; environmental adaptation; environmental acclimation; thermosensing; phytochromes
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Dear Colleagues,

Light and temperature are two of the most important signals regulating plant growth and development. In addition to their contribution to plant energy requirements, light and temperature ensure optimal plant development by providing temporal and predictive information. The molecular dissection of plant temperature responses has made it evident that light receptors such as the phytochromes are tuned to sense light quality, quantity and temperature inputs. Thus, photoreceptors and their signaling components are involved in diverse mechanism interconnecting light, temperature and temporal information coming from photoperiodism and circadian signals. Understanding the cross-talk between them is essential to address how plants utilize these environmental cues to coordinate their development and to tackle major challenges in agriculture such as climate change and the preservation of biodiversity. This Special Issue aims to provide an update of the current research on the role of light and temperature in plant growth and development.

Dr. Gabriela Toledo-Ortiz
Guest Editor

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Keywords

thermosensing
light sensing
photoreceptors
signal integration
plant development

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3813 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Key Genes in the Melatonin Biosynthesis Pathway with Circadian Rhythm Are Associated with Various Abiotic Stresses

by Hye-Ryun Ahn, Yu-Jin Kim, You-Jin Lim, Shucheng Duan, Seok-Hyun Eom and Ki-Hong Jung

Plants 2021, 10(1), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10010129 - 09 Jan 2021

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 3839

Abstract

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine), a well-known animal hormone, is involved in several biological processes including circadian rhythm and the regulation of abiotic stress. A systematic understanding of the circadian regulation of melatonin biosynthesis-related genes has not been achieved in rice. In this study, key genes for all of the enzymes in the melatonin biosynthetic pathway that showed a peak of expression at night were identified by microarray data analysis and confirmed by qRT–PCR analysis. We further examined the expression patterns of the four genes under drought, salt, and cold stresses. The results showed that abiotic stresses, such as drought, salt, and cold, affected the expression patterns of melatonin biosynthetic genes. In addition, the circadian expression patterns of tryptophan decarboxylase (TDC), tryptamine 5-hydroxylase (T5H), and serotonin N-acetyltransferase (SNAT) genes in wild-type (WT) plants was damaged by the drought treatment under light and dark conditions. Conversely, N-acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase (ASMT) retained the circadian rhythm. The expression of ASMT was down-regulated by the rice gigantea (OsGI) mutation, suggesting the involvement of the melatonin biosynthetic pathway in the OsGI-mediated circadian regulation pathway. Taken together, our results provide clues to explain the relationship between circadian rhythms and abiotic stresses in the process of melatonin biosynthesis in rice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Plants to Environmental Changes: Light and Temperature in Plant Development)

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18 pages, 2135 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reaching Natural Growth: The Significance of Light and Temperature Fluctuations in Plant Performance in Indoor Growth Facilities

by Camilo Chiang, Daniel Bånkestad and Günter Hoch

Plants 2020, 9(10), 1312; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101312 - 05 Oct 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3777

Abstract

Recommendations for near-natural plant growth under indoor conditions have been described without considering environmental fluctuations, which might have important consequences for researchers and plant producers when comparing results from indoor facilities with natural ecosystems or production. Previous authors proposed that differences in temperature, light quantity, and the lack of their variation are sources of deviations between indoor and outdoor experiments. Here, we investigated the effect of fluctuating light, temperature, and humidity in an indoor environment on plant performance. Seven plant species from different functional plant types were grown outdoors during summer and spring. The same species were then grown in indoor growth chambers under different scenarios of climate complexity in terms of fluctuations of temperature, air humidity, and light: (1) fixed night and day conditions, (2) daily sinusoidal changes, and (3) variable conditions tracking the climate records from the field trials. In each scenario, the average of the environmental variables was the same as in the respective field trial. Productivity-, gas exchange-, and leaf pigment-traits were measured in all plants at the end of the experiments. The plant trait responses were highly dependent on species and treatment, but general trends were observed. The variable condition yielded lower biomass compared to the fixed and sinusoidal conditions, together with a higher specific leaf area and increased chlorophyll concentrations. A principal component analysis (PCA) across all plant traits in response to climatic conditions suggested that at least a sinusoidal fluctuation is recommended for a more natural-like plant performance in indoor growth facilities. However, prevailing significant differences for several traits between field- and indoor-grown plants even under variable climates indicate that additional factors other than those controllable in standard phytotrons (e.g., wind speed and direction, leaf and soil temperature) can still significantly bias plant performance in indoor facilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Plants to Environmental Changes: Light and Temperature in Plant Development)

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15 pages, 2571 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Frond Optical Properties of the Fern Phyllitis scolopendrium Depend on Light Conditions in the Habitat

by Mateja Grašič, Tjaša Sovdat and Alenka Gaberščik

Plants 2020, 9(10), 1254; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101254 - 23 Sep 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2251

Abstract

Ferns display an elevated degree of phenotypic plasticity to changes in irradiance levels; however, only a few reports deal with their response to different light conditions. To get an insight into the extent of phenotypic plasticity of the fern Phyllitis scolopendrium, thriving in a forested area along a radiation gradient at the entrance of a cave, we examined selected biochemical, morphological, and physiological frond traits of the ferns from three different habitats. Sampling was performed two times during the vegetation season, in April and June. We also measured frond optical properties to point out the differences in leaf/light interactions between different plant samples. According to frond size, the middle habitat, receiving 125 µmol m⁻²s⁻¹ of photosynthetically active radiation at both sampling times, appeared to be the most favourable. The production of UV-absorbing substances was highest in the habitat with the lowest radiation level. At the beginning of the season, the level of photosynthetic pigments in this habitat was the same as in the other habitats, while it was significantly lower in June when the tree canopy was closed. Frond reflectance was similar when comparing habitats and different sampling times. The most significant differences were obtained in the UV-A and near-infrared regions. The reflectance spectra depended mainly on frond biochemical properties, which altogether explained 54% (p ≤ 0.05) of the spectra variability. Frond transmittance depended on both, morphological parameters, explaining 51% (p ≤ 0.05), and frond biochemistry, explaining 73% (p ≤ 0.05) of the spectra variability. P. scolopendrium was revealed to be highly plastic regarding light conditions. The shapes of the frond reflectance and transmittance optical curves were similar to those typical of leaves of seed plants. The fronds exhibited high morphological plasticity when comparing different habitats. However, their biochemical and optical traits differed more between the two sampling times than between the habitats. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Plants to Environmental Changes: Light and Temperature in Plant Development)

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13 pages, 3488 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Physiological Characteristics of Photosynthesis in Yellow-Green, Green and Dark-Green Chinese Kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. alboglabra Musil.) under Varying Light Intensities

by Kuan-Hung Lin, Feng-Chi Shih, Meng-Yuan Huang and Jen-Hsien Weng

Plants 2020, 9(8), 960; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9080960 - 30 Jul 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3904

Abstract

The objective of this work was to study physiological characteristics and photosynthetic apparatus in differentially pigmented leaves of three Chinese kale cultivars. Chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence and photochemical reflectance index (PRI) measurements in green, yellow-green, and dark-green cultivars in response to varying light intensities. As light intensity increased from 200 to 2000 photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), fraction of light absorbed in photosystem (PS) II and PRI values in all plants were strongly lowered, but fraction of light absorbed in PSII dissipated via thermal energy dissipation and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) values in all plants wereremarkably elevated.When plants were exposed to 200 PPFD, the values of fraction of light absorbed in PSII, utilized in photosynthetic electron transport(p), andfraction of light absorbed excitation energy in PSII dissipated via thermal energy dissipation (D), remained stable regardless of the changes in levels of Chla + b. Under 800 and 1200 PPFD, the values of p and electron transport rate (ETR) decreased, but D and NPQ increased as Chla + bcontent decreased, suggesting that decrease inChla + bcontent led to lower PSII efficiency and it became necessary to increase dissipate excess energy. On the contrary, in 2000 PPFD, leaves with lower Chla + bcontent had relatively higher p and electron transport rate (ETR) values and lower D level, as well as tended to increase more in NPQ but decrease more in PRI values. The consistent relations between PRI and NPQ suggest that NPQ is mainly consisted ofthe xanthophyll cycle-dependentenergy quenching.Yellow-green cultivar showed lower Chla + bcontent but high carotenoids/Chla + b ratio and had high light protection ability under high PPFD. The precise management of photosynthetic parameters in response to light intensity can maximize the growth and development of Chinese kale plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Plants to Environmental Changes: Light and Temperature in Plant Development)

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19 pages, 7745 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Maize Tolerance against Drought and Chilling Stresses Varied with Root Morphology and Antioxidative Defense System

by Hafiz Athar Hussain, Shengnan Men, Saddam Hussain, Qingwen Zhang, Umair Ashraf, Shakeel Ahmad Anjum, Iftikhar Ali and Longchang Wang

Plants 2020, 9(6), 720; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9060720 - 06 Jun 2020

Cited by 54 | Viewed by 3895

Abstract

Maize belongs to a tropical environment and is extremely sensitive to drought and chilling stress, particularly at early developmental stages. The present study investigated the individual and combined effects of drought (15% PEG-Solution) and chilling stress (15/12 °C) on morpho-physiological growth, osmolyte accumulation, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and activities/levels of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in two maize hybrids (i.e., “XD889” and “XD319”) and two inbred cultivars (i.e., “Yu13” and “Yu37”). Results revealed that individual and combined exposure of drought and chilling stresses hampered the morpho-physiological growth and oxidative status of maize cultivars, nevertheless, the interactive damage caused by drought + chilling was found to be more severe for all the studied traits. Between two individual stress factors, chilling-induced reductions in seedling length and biomass of maize cultivars were more compared with drought stress alone. Greater decrease in root length and biomass under chilling stress ultimately decreased the volume and surface area of the root system, and restricted the shoot growth. All the stress treatments, particularly chilling and drought + chilling, triggered the oxidative stress by higher accumulation of superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl ion, and malondialdehyde contents compared with the control. Variations in response of maize cultivars were also apparent against different stress treatments, and XD889 performed comparatively better than the rest of the cultivars. The better growth and greater stress tolerance of this cultivar was attributed to the vigorous root system architecture, as indicated by higher root biomass, root surface area, and root volume under drought and chilling stresses. Moreover, efficient antioxidant defense system in terms of higher total antioxidant capability, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione reductase activities also contributed in greater stress tolerance of XD889 over other cultivars. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Plants to Environmental Changes: Light and Temperature in Plant Development)

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11 pages, 2598 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Shading on Red Colour and Fruit Quality in Blush Pears “ANP-0118” and “ANP-0131”

by Madeleine Peavey, Ian Goodwin, Lexie McClymont and Subhash Chandra

Plants 2020, 9(2), 206; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9020206 - 06 Feb 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2873

Abstract

Some cultivars of Pyrus communis develop mature fruit with a distinctive red blush. Investigating the patterns of pear colour development in response to sunlight has implications for orchard management of these pears. The objectives of these experiments are to study the seasonal patterns of colour development and investigate the influence of shade and sunlight exposure on the red colour and harvest quality of blush pears “ANP-0118” and “ANP-0131”. Several long, medium and short shading treatments were applied at different stages of fruit development from 28 (“ANP-0131”) and 29 (“ANP-0118”) days after full bloom (DAFB) until harvests at 119 DAFB (“ANP-0118”) and 175 DAFB (“ANP-0131”). Fruits were measured every three weeks for colour parameters (a*, hue angle, chroma) and at harvest for quality parameters (fresh weight, visual assessments of percentage blush coverage and blush intensity, flesh firmness and soluble solids concentration). In the unshaded control, red colour increased during the growing season (increase in a* value and decrease in hue angle), as well as increasing in chroma value. Periods of shading during the season negatively affected red colour in both cultivars, as evidenced by significant decreases in a* value and increases in hue angle. Shaded fruits that were subsequently re-exposed to sunlight reacted with a dynamic increase in a* value and decrease in hue angle. Fruit shaded for the length of the experiment or prior to harvest had significantly lower a* values than the control at harvest. Visual assessment at harvest of percentage blush coverage and blush intensity were significantly affected by shading in both cultivars. Shading treatments applied early in the experiment had a negative effect on the fresh fruit weight of “ANP-0118”. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Plants to Environmental Changes: Light and Temperature in Plant Development)

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16 pages, 298 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Variation in Morphological and Quality Parameters in Garlic (Allium sativum L.) Bulb Influenced by Different Photoperiod, Temperature, Sowing and Harvesting Time

by Muhammad Jawaad Atif, Bakht Amin, Muhammad Imran Ghani, Muhammad Ali and Zhihui Cheng

Plants 2020, 9(2), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9020155 - 26 Jan 2020

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 5818

Abstract

Photoperiod (light) and temperature as abiotic factors having significant impact on the garlic bulb morphology and quality. In various bulb plants including garlic, bulbing is affected by photoperiod, temperature, sowing date and the plant age. In this backdrop experiments were performed to understand the effect of different photoperiods (10 h/14 h, 12 h/12 h and 14 h/10 h (light/dark)), temperatures (25 °C/18 °C and 30 °C/20 °C (light/dark)), sowing dates (D₀₈₀₁: 1^st August, D₀₉₀₁: 1^st September and D₁₀₀₁: 1^st October) and plant ages (A₈₀, A₆₀ and A₄₀: 80, 60 and 40 days after planting) on garlic cultivars viz; G103, G024 and G2011-5. Parameters including morphological (plant height, fresh weight and pseudostem diameter), bulb attributes (diameter, weight, height and bulbing index), growth period and bulb quality related traits (total soluble solid (TSS), contents of soluble protein, soluble sugar, total sugar, glucose, sucrose, fructose, starch, total phenol and total flavonoid) were assayed. Longer photoperiod (14 h), higher temperature (30 °C), early sowing (D₀₈₀₁) and maximum plant age (A₈₀) had maximum morphological and bulb quality related traits for cv. G103. These results showed that early sowing, maximum plant age, longer photoperiod and higher temperature are important for garlic bulb formation and quality. Moreover, the regulation of garlic bulb morphology and quality is achievable over the switch of sowing date, plant age, light and growth temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Plants to Environmental Changes: Light and Temperature in Plant Development)

17 pages, 4455 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seed Pretreatment and Foliar Application of Proline Regulate Morphological, Physio-Biochemical Processes and Activity of Antioxidant Enzymes in Plants of Two Cultivars of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.)

by Hira Yaqoob, Nudrat A. Akram, Samrah Iftikhar, Muhammad Ashraf, Noman Khalid, Muhammad Sadiq, Mohammed Nasser Alyemeni, Leonard Wijaya and Parvaiz Ahmad

Plants 2019, 8(12), 588; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8120588 - 10 Dec 2019

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3621

Abstract

In the current study, the effects of exogenously applied proline (25 and 50 mM) and low-temperature treatment were examined on the physiochemical parameters in the plants of two cultivars (V₁ and V₂) of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.). The seeds were also exposed to chilling stress at 4 °C before sowing. Plants raised from the seeds treated with low temperature showed reduced plant growth and contents of chlorophyll and carotenoids, but they had significantly increased contents of malondialdehyde, proline, ascorbic acid, total free amino acids, total soluble sugars, and total phenolics, as well as the activity of the peroxidase (POD) enzyme. Cold stress applied to seeds remained almost ineffective in terms of bringing about changes in plant root, hydrogen peroxide, glycine betaine and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) enzymes. The exogenous application of proline significantly increased plant growth, the contents of chlorophyll, carotenoids, proline, ascorbic acid, total free amino acids, phenolics, and total soluble sugars, as well as the activities of SOD, POD, and CAT, but it decreased malondialdehyde content. Overall, foliar application of proline was better than the seed treatment in improving root dry weight, root length, chlorophyll a, carotenoids, glycine betaine, ascorbic acid and superoxide dismutase activity, whereas seed pre-treatment with proline was effective in improving shoot dry weight, shoot length, hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, and peroxidase activity in both quinoa cultivars. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Plants to Environmental Changes: Light and Temperature in Plant Development)

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12 pages, 3673 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lipophilic Metabolites and Anatomical Acclimatization of Cleome amblyocarpa in the Drought and Extra-Water Areas of the Arid Desert of UAE

by Sameh S.M. Soliman, Mohamed Abouleish, Maged M.M. Abou-Hashem, Alshaimaa M. Hamoda and Ali A. El-Keblawy

Plants 2019, 8(5), 132; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8050132 - 16 May 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4409

Abstract

Plants adapt to different environmental conditions by developing structural and metabolic mechanisms. In this study, anatomical features and lipophilic metabolites were investigated in Cleome amblyocarpa Barr. & Murb., Cleomaceae plants growing in the arid desert of United Arab Emirates (UAE) in either low-water or extra-water areas, which were caused by the surrounding road run-off. The plant showed the presence of shaggy-like trichomes. The plant also developed special mechanisms to ensure its survival via release of lipophilic metabolites. The lipophilic metabolites, stained red with Sudan III, were apparently released by glandular trichomes and idioblasts of the shoot and roots, respectively. The identified lipophilic metabolites included those required for drought tolerance, protection against pathogens invasion, and detoxification. Plants growing in the low-water area caused an increase in the production of lipophilic metabolites—in particular, hydrocarbons and terpenoids. The lipophilic metabolites are known to provide the plant with unique waxy surfaces that reduce water loss and avoid penetration by pathogens. The release of lipid metabolites and the presence of shaggy-like trichomes represented unique features of the species that have never been reported. The provided chemical ecology information can be extended for several plant-related applications, particularly including drought tolerance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Plants to Environmental Changes: Light and Temperature in Plant Development)

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