Photosynthetica 2019, 57(3):740-747 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2019.088

Leaf wetting mitigates midday depression of photosynthesis in tomato plants

G. YOKOYAMA1, D. YASUTAKE2, T. TANIZAKI1, M. KITANO2
1 Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 812-8581 Fukuoka, Japan
2 Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, 812-8581 Fukuoka, Japan

We studied the effects of leaf wetting on midday depression of photosynthesis regarding plant water balance and leaf morphological traits. The plants without leaf wetting showed a significant reduction in midday photosynthesis with a concomitant decrease with leaf conductance, because of lower leaf water potential (-1.3 MPa) due to excessive transpiration water loss. However, midday depression was not observed in the plants with leaf wetting. Lower contact angle between leaf surface and water droplet showed that tomato leaves have lower water repellency. However, water on the leaf surface completely dried within 20 min indicating that effect of water coverage on stomata for CO2 uptake was small. In addition, leaf wetting significantly decreased evaporative demands, which contributed to maintaining appropriate water balance and avoided midday stomatal closure, and it contributed to mitigation of midday depression of photosynthesis.

Keywords: plant water relations; photosynthetic rate; stomatal conductance; transpiration rate; whole-plant chamber.

Received: September 9, 2018; Accepted: December 18, 2018; Prepublished online: June 6, 2019; Published: July 23, 2019Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
YOKOYAMA, G., YASUTAKE, D., TANIZAKI, T., & KITANO, M. (2019). Leaf wetting mitigates midday depression of photosynthesis in tomato plants. Photosynthetica, 57(3), 740-747. doi: 10.32615/ps.2019.088.
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)

    • Open full article

    References

    1. Araya T., Noguchi K., Terashima I.: Effect of carbohydrate accumulation on photosynthesis differ between sink and source leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris L. -Plant Cell Physiol. 47: 644-652, 2006. Go to original source...
    2. Aryal B., Neuner G.: Leaf wettability decreases along an extreme altitudinal gradient. - Oecologia 162: 1-9, 2010. Go to original source...
    3. Ayari O., Dorais M., Gosselin A.: Daily variations of photosyn-thetic efficiency of greenhouse tomato plants during winter and spring. - J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 125: 235-241, 2000. Go to original source...
    4. Brewer C.A., Smith W.K.: Leaf surface wetness and gas exchange in the pond lily Nuphar polysepalum (Nymphae-aceae). - Am. J. Bot. 82: 1271 - 1277, 1995. Go to original source...
    5. Cassana F.F., Dillenburg L.R.: The periodic wetting of leaves enhances water relations and growth of the long-lived conifer Araucaria angustifolia. - Plant Biol. 15: 75-83, 2013. Go to original source...
    6. Eller C.B., Lima A.L., Oliveira R.S.: Cloud forest trees with higher foliar water uptake capacity and anisohydric behavior are more vulnerable to drought and climate change. - New Phytol. 211: 489-501, 2016. Go to original source...
    7. Eller C.B., Lima A.L., Oliveira R.S.: Foliar uptake of fog water and transport belowground alleviates drought effects in the cloud forest tree species, Drimys brasiliensis (Winteraceae). -New Phytol. 199: 151-162, 2013. Go to original source...
    8. Flexas J., Bota J., Loreto F. et al.: Diffusive and metabolic limitations to photosynthesis under drought and salinity in C3 plants. - Plant Biol. 6: 269-279, 2004. Go to original source...
    9. Franks P.J., Farquhar G.D.: A relationship between humidity response, growth form and photosynthetic operating point in C3 plants. - Plant Cell Environ. 22: 1337-1349, 1999. Go to original source...
    10. Goldsmith G.R., Bentley L.P., Shenkin A. et al.: Variation in leaf wettability traits along tropical montane elevation gradient. - New Phytol. 214: 989-1001, 2017. Go to original source...
    11. Grassi G., Magnani F.: Stomatal, mesophyll conductance and biochemical limitations to photosynthesis as affected by drought and leaf ontogeny in ash and oak trees. - Plant Cell Environ. 28: 834-849, 2005. Go to original source...
    12. Guyot G., Scoffoni C., Sack L.: Combined impacts of irradiance and dehydration on leaf hydraulic conductance: insights into vulnerability and stomatal control. - Plant Cell Environ. 35: 857-871, 2012. Go to original source...
    13. Hanba Y.T., Moriya A., Kimura K.: Effect of leaf surface wetness and wettability on photosynthesis in bean and pea. - Plant Cell Environ. 27: 413-421, 2004. Go to original source...
    14. He J., Austin P.T., Nichols M.A., Lee S.-K.: Elevated root-zone CO2 protects lettuce plants from midday depression of photosynthesis. - Environ. Exp. Bot. 61: 94-101, 2007. Go to original source...
    15. Hidaka K., Dan K., Imamura H. et al.: Effect of supplemental lighting from different light sources on growth and yield of strawberry. - Environ. Control. Biol. 51: 41-47, 2013. Go to original source...
    16. Hirasawa T., Iida Y., Ishihara K.: Dominant factors in reduction of photosynthetic rate affected by air humidity and leaf water potential in rice plants. - Jpn. J. Crop Sci. 58: 383-389, 1989. Go to original source...
    17. Hu M.J., Guo Y.P., Shen Y.G. et al.: Midday depression of photosynthesis and effects of mist spray in citrus. - Ann. Appl. Biol. 154: 143-155, 2009. Go to original source...
    18. Huber L., Gillespie T.: Modeling leaf wetness in relation to plant disease epidemiology. - Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 30: 553-577, 1992. Go to original source...
    19. Ishibashi M., Terashima I.: Effects of continuous leaf wetness on photosynthesis: adverse aspects of rainfall. - Plant Cell Environ. 18: 431-438, 1995. Go to original source...
    20. Jones H.G.: Plants and Microclimate: A Quantitative Approach to Environmental Plant Physiology. 3rd edition. Pp. 423. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2013.
    21. Kaya C., Kirnak H., Higgs D.: Enhancement of growth and normal growth parameters by foliar application of potassium and phosphorus in tomato cultivars grown at high (NaCl) salinity. - J. Plant Nutr. 24: 357-367, 2001. Go to original source...
    22. Kitano M., Eguchi H.: Dynamic analyses of water relations and leaf growth in cucumber plants under midday water deficit. - Biotronics 22: 72-85, 1993.
    23. Lee K.M., Driever S.M., Heuvelink E. et al.: Evaluation of diel patters of relative changes in cell turgor of tomato plants using leaf patch clamp pressure probes. - Physiol. Plantarum 146: 439-447, 2012. Go to original source...
    24. Limm E.B., Simonin K.A., Bothman A.G., Dawson T.E.: Foliar water uptake: a common water acquisition strategy for plants of the redwood forest. - Oecologia 161: 449-459, 2009. Go to original source...
    25. Long S., Humphries S., Falkowski P.: Photoinhibition of photo-synthesis in nature. - Annu. Rev. Plant Phys. 45: 633-662, 1994. Go to original source...
    26. Mather J.R., Yoshioka G.A.: The role of climate in the distribution of vegetation. - Ann. Assoc. Am. Geogr. 58: 29-41, 1968. Go to original source...
    27. Matos I.S., Rosado B.H.: Retain or repel? Droplet volume does matter when measuring leaf wetness traits. - Ann. Bot. 117: 1045-1052, 2016. Go to original source...
    28. Ozawa K.: [Effect of foliar water spraying on root elongation of tomato plants.] - J. Agric. Meteorol. 45: 19-23, 1989. [In Japanese with English abstract] Go to original source...
    29. Pelletier V., Pepin S., Gallichand J., Caron J.: Reducing cranberry heat stress and midday depression with evaporative cooling. - Sci. Hortic.-Amsterdam 198: 445-453, 2016.
    30. Romero-Aranda R., Soria T., Cuartero J.: Greenhouse mist im-proves yield of tomato plants grown under saline conditions. -J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 127: 644-648, 2002. Go to original source...
    31. Sack L., Holbrook M.N.: Leaf hydraulics. - Annu. Rev. Plant. Biol. 57: 361-381, 2006. Go to original source...
    32. Schulze E.D.: Carbon dioxide and water vapor exchange in response to drought in the atmosphere and in the soil. - Ann. Rev. Plant. Physio. 37: 247-74, 1986. Go to original source...
    33. Simonin K.A., Santiago L.S., Dawson T.E.: Fog interception by Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) crowns decouples physiology from soil water deficit. - Plant. Cell Environ. 32: 882-892, 2009. Go to original source...
    34. Stephenson N.: Climatic control of vegetation distribution: the role of the water balance. - Amer. Nat. 135: 649-670, 1990. Go to original source...
    35. Takahata K., Miura H.: Effect of growth period and air temperature on the position of the inflorescence on the stem of tomato plants. - Hort. J. 86: 70-77, 2017. Go to original source...
    36. Yasutake D., Mori M., Kitano M. et al.: Night-time leaf wetting process and its effect on the morning humidity gradient as a driving force of transpirational water loss in a semi-arid cornfield. - Biologia 70: 1485-1489, 2015. Go to original source...
    37. Yasutake D., Yokoyama G., Maruo K. et al.: Analysis of leaf wetting effects on gas exchange of corn using a whole-plant chamber system. - Plant Soil Environ. 64: 233-239, 2018.
    38. Yokoyama G., Yasutake D., Kitano M.: A preliminary experiment on the effects of leaf wetting on gas exchange in tomato leaves. - Environ. Control Biol. 56: 13-16, 2018. Go to original source...
    39. Zaller J.G.: Foliar spraying of vermicornpost extracts: effects on fruit quality and indications of late-blight suppression of field-grown tomatoes. - Biol. Agric. Hortic. 24: 165-180, 2006. Go to original source...

    Return to the content