Effect of drought stress on the formation and lignification of eucalyptus wood cells

Abstract

Summary Environmental adaptation and cell differentiation processes are factors that influence the anatomical elements of wood. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of water deficit on lignin composition in anatomical elements and on the characteristics of vessel-neighboring cells. Six-year-old clones of Eucalyptus urophylla and Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus camaldulensis from wet and dry regions were used. All regions received a rainfall exclusion treatment. Cell wall width, cell wall thickness, and form factor of fibers close to and far from vessels were measured. In the same cells, lignin was measured in the middle lamella and vessels by a fluorescence technique. The vessel differentiation process affected cell wall thickness and lignin composition in neighboring cells. Lignin composition was increased in vessels compared to fibers or vasicentric tracheids. Middle lamella lignin was not affected by vessel differentiation or water deficit in either eucalyptus clone. E. grandis × E. camaldulensis is originally from a dry climate region and, therefore, did not suffer alterations in lignin when subjected to water stress conditions; however, this clone exhibited a higher number of vasicentric tracheids. E. urophylla is originally from a humid climate region and, when subjected to water deficit, showed increased wood lignin composition, which seems to be a strategy for better use of water resources. Alterations in lignin composition of vessel, vasicentric tracheid, and fiber cell walls resulting from exposure to water deficit conditions vary according to eucalyptus species.

Toward a better understanding of angiosperm xylogenesis: a new method for a cellular approach

“…Wide tree‐ring sectors including APF cell types at different relative distances to vessels, including both surrounding and distant cells, were delimited to minimize the impacts of vessel proximity on APF timing calculations (Fig. 3a; Čufar et al ., 2008; Moulin et al ., 2022). The total number of vessel‐surrounding cells measured was consequently lower than that of the distant cells.…”

Confronting Secondary Metabolites with Water Uptake and Transport in Plants under Abiotic Stress

“…Together these findings suggest that the ability of plants to combat oxidative stress, and therefore drought, significantly depends on their capacity to modulate the synthesis of phenols. In addition, E. urophylla grown under water deficit increased its concentrations of wall-bound phenolics, as a strategy for increasing water transport and improving the use of water resources [58]. Thus, it has been reported that phenolics such as salicylic acid regulate aquaporins for increasing the hydraulic properties of roots in arbuscular mycorrhizal maize plants subjected to drought [59].…”

Planted or Natural Pine Forests, Which One Will Better Recover after Drought? Insights from Tree Growth and Stable C and H Isotopes

“…During dry periods, the decrease of δ 2 H on wood compounds in pine plantations may alter cell wall integrity and synthesis making these trees more vulnerable to xylem embolism. Trees from natural forests could be more adapted to low precipitation during the growing season by increasing the activity of cellulosic compounds, retaining higher turgor levels during cell enlargement at low water potentials thus forming more tracheids with thicker cell walls [73].…”