Abstract
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Solairo) fruit growth, fruit mesocarp and leaf epidermal cell turgor, and fruit and leaf sub-epidermal apoplastic pH were monitored as plants were allowed to dry the soil in which they were rooted. Soil drying regimes involved splitting the root system of plants between two halves of a single pot separated by a solid impervious membrane to form a split-root system. Plants were then allowed to dry the soil in both halves of the pot (a soil-drying (SD) treatment) or water was supplied to one-half of the pot (a partial root-drying (PRD) treatment), allowing only one-half of the root system to dry the soil. A well-watered control treatment watered the soil on both halves of the pot. The rate of fruit growth was highly correlated with the soil water content of both sides of the SD treatment and the dry side of the PRD treatment. Soil drying caused a significant restriction in fruit growth rate, which was independent of any changes in the turgor of expanding fruit mesocarp cells in the PRD treatment. By supplying water to half of the root system, the turgors of mesocarp cells were maintained at values above those recorded in well-watered controls. The turgor of leaf epidermal cells exhibited a similar response. The pH of the sub-epidermal apoplastic compartment in leaves and fruit increased with soil drying. The dynamics of this increase in leaves and fruit were identical, suggesting free transport of this signal from shoot to fruit. Fruit growth rate and sub-epidermal pH within the fruit showed a strong correlation. The similarity of fruit growth response in the SD and PRD treatment, suggests that tomato plants respond to a discrete measure of soil water status and do not integrate measures to determine total soil water availability. The results of this study are not consistent with Lockhartian models of growth regulation in expanding fruit of a higher plant. A non-hydraulic, chemical-based signalling control of fruit growth in plants growing in drying soil is proposed.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Fruit growth rate correlated with water content on both dry sides in SD and the dry side in PRD.
- Taxon
- Tomato
Solanum lycopersicumt0 - Treatment
- SD treatmente0
- Outcome
- rate of fruit growthe0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The rate of fruit growth was highly correlated with the soil water content of both sides of the SD treatment and the dry side of the PRD treatment.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil drying significantly restricted fruit growth rate.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Soil dryinge0
- Outcome
- fruit growth ratee0
- Direction
- restrictione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Soil drying caused a significant restriction in fruit growth rate”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Under PRD, fruit growth restriction was independent of mesocarp cell turgor change.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- PRD treatmente0
- Outcome
- turgor of expanding fruit mesocarp cellse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“which was independent of any changes in the turgor of expanding fruit mesocarp cells in the PRD treatment.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Supplying water to half the roots maintained mesocarp turgor above well-watered controls.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- supplying water to half of the root systeme0
- Outcome
- turgors of mesocarp cellse0
- Direction
- abovee0
- Comparator
- well-watered controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“By supplying water to half of the root system, the turgors of mesocarp cells were maintained at values above those recorded in well-watered controls.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf epidermal cell turgor responded similarly to mesocarp turgor.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- turgor of leaf epidermal cellse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The turgor of leaf epidermal cells exhibited a similar response.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Subepidermal apoplastic pH rose with soil drying in leaves and fruit.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- soil dryinge0
- Outcome
- pH of the sub-epidermal apoplastic compartment in leaves and fruite0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The pH of the sub-epidermal apoplastic compartment in leaves and fruit increased with soil drying.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf and fruit pH increases followed identical dynamics.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- dynamics of this increase in leaves and fruite0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The dynamics of this increase in leaves and fruit were identical”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Fruit growth rate correlated strongly with fruit subepidermal pH.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Organ / stage
- fruite0
- Outcome
- Fruit growth ratee0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fruit growth rate and sub-epidermal pH within the fruit showed a strong correlation.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Similar SD and PRD growth responses suggest response to a discrete soil water measure.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- SD and PRD treatmente0
- Outcome
- fruit growth responsee0
- Qualifier
- respond to a discrete measure of soil water statuse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The similarity of fruit growth response in the SD and PRD treatment, suggests that tomato plants respond to a discrete measure of soil water status and do not integrate measures to determine total soil water availability.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Results are inconsistent with Lockhartian growth models.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- growth regulation in expanding fruite0
- Qualifier
- Lockhartian models of growth regulatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The results of this study are not consistent with Lockhartian models of growth regulation in expanding fruit of a higher plant.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors propose chemical nonhydraulic signaling for fruit growth under soil drying.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- fruit growthe0
- Qualifier
- non-hydraulic, chemical-based signallinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A non-hydraulic, chemical-based signalling control of fruit growth in plants growing in drying soil is proposed.”
t0“Tomato”
The same questions in other papers
processing · growth · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
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