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The browning and death of needles of evergreen conifers in alpine regions occur mainly in early spring at the point where the shoot protrudes from the snowpack. They are thought to be caused by excessive transpiration due to mechanical damage to the cuticle or to a thinner cuticle. However, there are a few studies that do not necessarily agree with this idea. We assessed needle browning and death in Pinus pumila (Pallas) Regel. in the alpine region of Japan in relation to mechanical damage to the cuticle, cuticular resistance, and cuticle thickness. Mechanical damage was not observed on needle cuticles of Pinus pumila browning in a natural environment. The color of needles with artificially abraded cuticles changed from green to brown in the abraded part. However, the brown color at the abraded part differed from the brown of a browning needle in its natural environment. There was no correlation between cuticular resistance and cuticle thickness. Needle browning and death in P. pumila were not related to mechanical damage of the cuticle or to cuticle thickness but might be due to changes in the quality and structure of the cuticle and other stresses. Resume: Le brunissement et la mort des aiguilles des coniferes dans les regions alpines surviennent surtout au debut du printemps sur les pousses qui emergent du couvert nival. On croyait que le brunissement et la mort des aiguilles etaient causes par la transpiration excessive due a des blessures mecaniques a la cuticule et a une cuticule amincie. Cependant, il existe quelques etudes dont les resultats ne correspondent pas necessairement a cette hypothese. Nous avons etudie le brunissement et la mort des aiguilles de Pinus pumila (Pallas) Regel. dans la region alpine du Japon en lien avec les blessures mecaniques a la cuticule ainsi que la resistance et l'epaisseur de la cuticule. Il s'ensuit qu'aucune blessure mecanique a la cuticule des aiguilles n'a ete observee en milieu naturel. La portion des aiguilles dont la cuticule avait ete artificiellement endommagee avec un abrasif a bruni. Cependant, le ton de brun de la portion traitee avec un abrasif etait different de celui des aiguilles qui brunissent en milieu naturel. Il n'y avait pas de correlation entre la resistance de la cuticule et son epaisseur. Le brunissement et la mort des aiguilles de P. pumila n'etaient pas relies aux blessures mecaniques a la cuticule ni a l'epaisseur de la cuticule, mais pourraient etre dus a des changements dans la qualite et la structure de la cuticule et a d'autres facteurs de stress. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction High mountainous habitat is one of the most severe habitats for plants (Korner 2003). In Europe and North America, the timberline of the uppermost subalpine zone transits the alpine [...]

Roots of hardwoods have been shown to be more vulnerable to xylem cavitation than stems. This study examined whether this pattern is also observed in a conifer species. Vulnerability to cavitation was determined from the pressure required to inject air into the vascular system of hydrated roots and stems, and reduce hydraulic conductance of the xylem. According to the air-seeding hypothesis for the cavitation mechanism, these air pressures predict the negative xylem pressure causing cavitation in dehydrating stems. This was evaluated for stems of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) and white fir (Abies concolor (Gord. & Glend.) Lindl.). The air-injection method was applied to roots and stems of different sizes and positions in Douglas-fir trees. Roots, especially smaller roots with a xylem diameter < 5 mm, were more vulnerable to cavitation than stems. Mean cavitation pressure for smaller roots was –2.09 ± 0.42 versus –3.80 ± 0.19 MPa for larger roots (> 8 mm diameter). Within the shoot system, smaller stems (< 5 mm diameter) were most vulnerable to cavitation, having a mean cavitation pressure of –4.23 ± 0.565 versus –5.27 ± 0.513 MPa for large stems (> 8 mm diameter). There was no correlation between tracheid diameter and mean cavitation pressure within root or stem systems, despite larger tracheid diameters in roots (23.3 ± 3.9 μm) than in stems (9.2 ± 1.6 μm). Smaller safety margins from cavitation in roots may be beneficial in limiting water use during mild drought, and in protecting the stem from low xylem pressures during extreme drought. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cerasus × yedoensis (cherry 'Somei-yoshino' Fujino) is affected by bacterial gall disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. cerasicola (PSC). C. × yedoensis is often infected with PSC under weak light intensity, which indicates that susceptibility of C. × yedoensis to PSC is affected by light. To evaluate the effects of white light intensity and different light qualities, white or blue, on bacterial gall disease development, we quantitatively assessed the anatomical and histological features of bacterial-inoculated sites on branches of 2-year-old potted C . × yedoensis seedlings grown under different light intensities and qualities. The stronger the white light intensity, the less severe the gall symptoms. Gall formation was suppressed more by blue than white light of the same intensity. The validity of a simple gall index for assessing gall development with the naked eye, via quantitative evaluation of gall shape by measuring gall height, width, and volume, showed that the gall index could be used as a practical method for on-site assessments of gall development. The ratio of degeneration area in the gall remained constant, suggesting the presence of some regulatory mechanism preventing PSC from affecting the entire gall within the plant. Microscopy showed that the gall tissue is composed primarily of callus cells and has voids containing gummy material that is exuded from cracks in the gall, and the periderm develops at the gall foot but not at the gall apex, so the cells at the gall apex were necrotic or collapsed., Competing Interests: The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.

We investigated seasonal patterns of water relations in current-year leaves of three evergreen broad-leaved trees (Ilex pedunculosa Miq., Ligustrum japonicum Thunb., and Eurya japonica Thunb.) with delayed greening in a warm-temperate forest in Japan. We used the pressure-volume method to: (1) assess the extent to which seasonal variation in leaf water relations is attributable to leaf development processes in delayed greening leaves versus seasonal variation in environmental variables; and (2) investigate variation in leaf water relations during the transition from the sapling to the adult tree stage. Leaf mass per unit leaf area was generally lowest just after completion of leaf expansion in May (late spring), and increased gradually throughout the year. Osmotic potential at full turgor (Psi(o) (ft)) and leaf water potential at the turgor loss point (Psi(w) (tlp)) were highest in May, and lowest in midwinter in all species. In response to decreasing air temperature, Psi(o) (ft) dropped at the rate of 0.037 MPa degrees C(-1). Dry-mass-based water content of leaves and the symplastic water fraction of total leaf water content gradually decreased throughout the year in all species. These results indicate that reductions in the symplastic water fraction during leaf development contributed to the passive concentration of solutes in cells and the resulting drop in winter Psi(o) (ft). The ratio of solutes to water volume increased in winter in current-year leaves of L. japonicum and E. japonica, indicating that osmotic adjustment (active accumulation of solutes) also contributed to the drop in winter in Psi(o) (ft). Bulk modulus of elasticity in cell walls fluctuated seasonally, but no general trend was found across species. Over the growing season, Psi(o) (ft) and Psi(w) (tlp) were lower in adult trees than in saplings especially in the case of I. pedunculosa, suggesting that adult-tree leaves are more drought and cold tolerant than sapling leaves. The ontogenetic increase in the stress resistance of I. pedunculosa may be related to its characteristic life form because I. pedunculosa grows taller than the other species studied.