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Water deficit and ethylene evolution by young cotton bolls
1Western Cotton Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Phoenix, Arizona 85040.
Plant Physiology
|March 1, 1976
Summary
Water deficit stimulates ethylene evolution in young cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) bolls, potentially causing abscission. This occurs through partial desiccation, independent of sugar content changes.
Area of Science:
- Plant Physiology
- Agricultural Science
- Cotton Biology
Background:
- Previous studies linked reduced photosynthesis and sugar content to increased ethylene evolution and abscission in cotton bolls.
- Moisture stress was known to increase ethylene evolution in young cotton bolls, but its effect on boll sugar content was unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the direct impact of moisture stress and desiccation on ethylene evolution in young cotton bolls.
- To determine if water deficit affects ethylene production independently of changes in boll sugar concentrations.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of ethylene evolution rates in young cotton bolls under various conditions: dim light, long warm nights, and moisture stress.
- Analysis of fructose, glucose, and sucrose concentrations in bolls subjected to moisture stress.
- Incubation of detached cotton bolls at high and low humidity to assess ethylene evolution related to water loss.
Main Results:
- Moisture stress increased ethylene evolution in young cotton bolls without reducing their sugar content.
- Detached bolls showed markedly increased ethylene evolution at low humidity, indicating a direct effect of desiccation.
- Detached bolls lost more water for a given ethylene evolution rate compared to bolls on moisture-stressed plants.
Conclusions:
- Water deficit directly stimulates ethylene evolution in young cotton bolls, primarily through partial desiccation.
- This ethylene increase, driven by water deficit, is likely sufficient to cause abscission in many instances.
- The findings suggest a direct physiological response to water loss, rather than an indirect effect mediated by plant-wide stress responses.
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