Aspects of leaf anatomy of kudzu (Pueraria lobata, Leguminosae-Faboideae) related to water and energy balance

Abstract

-Kudzu is a cover crop that has escaped cultivation in some subtropical and warm temperate regions. Kudzu has previously demonstrated broad intraspecific physiological plasticity while colonizing new environments. The objective of this paper was to investigate characteristics of kudzu leaflet anatomy that might contribute to its successful growth in climatically distinct environments, and to escape cultivation as well. Fresh and fixed leaflet strips of field-grown plants were analyzed. The lower epidermis of kudzu showed a higher frequency of stomata (147 ± 19 stomata mm -2 ) than the upper epidermis (26 ± 17 stomata mm -2 ). The average number of trichomes per square milimeter was 8 for both the upper and the lower epidermis. The average trichome length was 410 ± 200 µm for the upper epidermis and 460 ± 190 µm for the lower epidermis. Cuticle thickness was not considerably different between lower and upper epidermis. The leaflet blade consisted basically of two layers (upper and lower) of unicellular epidermis, two layers of palisade parenchyma and one layer of spongy parenchyma. One layer of paraveinal mesophyll was found between palisade and spongy parenchyma.In conclusion, leaflets of kudzu present anatomical characteristics that might contribute to the broad physiological plasticity shown by kudzu.Index terms: cuticle thickness, ecophysiology, leaflet anatomy, stomata, trichomes. ASPECTOS DA ANATOMIA FOLIAR DE PUERARIA LOBATA (LEGUMINOSAE-FABOIDEAE) ASSOCIADOS AO BALANÇO DE ÁGUA E DE ENERGIARESUMO -Kudzu é uma cultura de cobertura que se tornou invasiva em algumas regiões subtropicais e temperadas. Kudzu tem demonstrado ampla plasticidade fisiológica quando coloniza novos ambientes. Este trabalho teve por objetivo investigar características da anatomia foliar de kudzu que poderiam contribuir para seu hábito invasivo e também para sua propagação em ambientes distintos do ponto de vista climático. Foram analisados cortes frescos e permanentes de lâminas foliares de plantas crescidas no campo. A epiderme inferior tipicamente apresentou maior freqüência de estômatos (147 ± 19 estômatos mm -2 ) do que a epiderme superior (26 ± 17 estômatos mm -2 ). O número médio de tricomas por milímetro quadrado foi 8 para ambas, epiderme superior e epiderme inferior. O comprimento médio dos tricomas foi 410 ± 200 µm para a epiderme superior e 460 ± 190 µm para a epiderme inferior. A espessura da cutícula não diferiu significativamente entre as epidermes inferior e superior. A lâmina foliar consistiu basicamente de duas camadas de parênquima paliçádico e uma camada de parênquima lacunoso. Uma camada de mesófilo paranerval foi encontrada entre os parênquimas paliçádico e lacunoso. Concluindo, folíolos de kudzu apresentam características anatômicas que podem contribuir para a ampla plasticidade fisiológica demonstrada pela espécie.Termos para indexação: anatomia de folíolos, tricomas, ecofisiologia, espessura de cutícula, estômatos.

Down Regulation and Loss of Auxin Response Factor 4 Function Using CRISPR/Cas9 Alters Plant Growth, Stomatal Function and Improves Tomato Tolerance to Salinity and Osmotic Stress

“…Successful plant growth relies on the plasticity in leaf anatomical characteristics, which enables plants to cope with diverse stress environments [46]. The transcriptional downregulation of ARF4 leads to severe leaf curling along the longitudinal axis which was consistent with that observed in DR12-ASL lines generated in the Kemer cultivar by Jones et al (2002) and those obtained in Micro Tom by Sagar et al (2013) [14,15].…”

Coordination and plasticity in leaf anatomical traits of invasive and native vine species

“…Large stomata coupled with the presence of stomata on both leaf surfaces (amphistomy) and high nitrogen load of the leaf (see Osunkoya et al, 2010a) could indeed explain the restriction of the invasive Anredera cordifolia to areas of higher resource pulses (e.g., riparian zones) (Vivian‐Smith et al, 2007) and the observation that it is one of the first invasive vine species to die out when water resource becomes scarce, e.g., following a prolonged drought (Vivian‐Smith et al, 2007; see also Boyne et al, 2013 for further discussion on the leaf anatomy of the species). Nonetheless, amphistomy is a feature of another noxious invasive climber, kudzu ( Pueraria lobata ), and is considered a contributing factor to its invasiveness (De Pereira‐Netto et al, 1999).…”

«Pueraria montana» var. «lobata» (Leguminosae) en la Argentina: estado actual de su naturalización

“…En los bosques, los soportes incluyen árboles y arbustos, y también otras trepadoras, que le permiten acelerar su ascenso: sus tallos volubles se enroscan mejor en tallos de menor diámetro (Munger, 2002). Los pulvínulos orientan las láminas de forma paralela a la irradiación solar, lo que reduce la pérdida de agua por transpiración, en el verano y al mediodía; esto, junto con otros rasgos foliares (frecuencia de estomas y tricomas, grosor de la cutícula), aumenta la eficiencia hídrica y fotosintética de la planta, lo que favorece su competitividad (Pereira-Netto et al, 1999;Lindgren et al, 2013).…”