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Updated: Oct 30, 2025

Generating Homo- and Heterografts Between Watermelon and Bottle Gourd for the Study of Cold-responsive MicroRNAs
Published on: November 20, 2018
High relative humidity improve chilling tolerance by maintaining leaf water potential in watermelon seedlings
Junyang Lu1, Fareeha Shireen1, Fei Cheng1
1Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, Ministry of Education/College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
Abstract:
Low temperature is a major environmental factor that severely impairs plant growth and productivity. Although the response to low temperature stress is well studied, the mechanisms of chilling tolerance are still not well understood. Here, we describe experiments that aimed to determine whether relative humidity (RH) contribute to chilling tolerance by regulating leaf water potential in watermelon seedlings. Plants exposed to chilling stress (10 °C/5 °C day/night) were severely wilted, and the water potential in their leaves was decreased. We found that maintaining high RH when plants were subjected to chilling-stress conditions attenuated the reduction in leaf water potential, reduced electrolyte leakage, improved the stability of photosynthesis, and alleviated chilling damage. Pretreatment with ABA increased chilling tolerance in low RH conditions but became ineffective in high RH conditions. Analysis of endogenous ABA content indicated that water potential mediated chilling tolerance was independent of ABA. Analysis of stomatal resistance indicated that the maintenance of water potential was related to stomatal resistance but that the balance between water absorption and loss is more important. In conclusion, high RH maintained leaf water potential and cell turgor, maintained better cell morphology, improved stomatal conductance and thus, ultimately improved the chilling tolerance of watermelon seedlings.
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