Abstract
We have characterized the growth responses of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings to water deficit. To manipulate the water potential, we developed a method whereby the nutrient-agar medium could be supplemented with polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000); PEG was introduced into gelled media by diffusion, which produced media with water potential as low as -1.6 MPa. For dark-grown plants, hypocotyl growth had a hyperbolic dependence on water potential, and was virtually stopped by -1 MPa. In contrast, primary root elongation was stimulated by moderate deficit and even at -1.6 MPa was not significantly less than the control. That these results did not depend on a direct effect of PEG was attested by obtaining indistinguishable results when a dialysis membrane impermeable to PEG was placed between the medium and the seedlings. For light-grown seedlings, moderate deficit also stimulated primary root elongation and severe deficit reduced elongation only partially. These changes in elongation were paralleled by changes in root system dry weight. At moderate deficit, lateral root elongation and initiation were unaffected and at higher stress levels both were inhibited. Primary root diameter increased steadily with time in well-watered controls and under water deficit increased transiently before stabilizing at a diameter that was inversely proportional to the deficit. Along with stimulated primary root elongation, moderate water deficit also stimulated the rate of cell production. Thus, A. thaliana responds to water deficit vigorously, which enhances its use as a model to uncover mechanisms underlying plant responses to water deficit.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
PEG diffusion produced nutrient-agar medium with water potential as low as -1.6 MPa.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thalianat0 - Treatment
- PEGe0
- Outcome
- water potentiale0
- Value
- -1.6 MPae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PEG was introduced into gelled media by diffusion, which produced media with water potential as low as -1.6 MPa”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
Claim · model-written summary
Dark-grown seedling hypocotyl growth depended hyperbolically on water potential and nearly ceased at -1 MPa.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Organ / stage
- hypocotyle0
- Treatment
- water potentiale0
- Outcome
- hypocotyl growthe0
- Direction
- virtually stoppede0
- Value
- -1 MPae0
- Qualifier
- dark-grown plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“For dark-grown plants, hypocotyl growth had a hyperbolic dependence on water potential, and was virtually stopped by -1 MPa”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate water deficit stimulated primary root elongation in dark-grown seedlings.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Organ / stage
- primary roote0
- Treatment
- moderate deficite0
- Outcome
- primary root elongatione0
- Direction
- stimulatede0
- Qualifier
- dark-grown plantse1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“primary root elongation was stimulated by moderate deficit”
e1“For dark-grown plants”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
Claim · model-written summary
At -1.6 MPa, dark-grown seedling primary root elongation was not significantly less than the control.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Organ / stage
- primary roote1
- Treatment
- -1.6 MPae0
- Outcome
- primary root elongatione1
- Direction
- not significantly lesse0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“even at -1.6 MPa was not significantly less than the control”
e1“primary root elongation was stimulated by moderate deficit”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
Claim · model-written summary
Using a PEG-impermeable dialysis membrane yielded indistinguishable seedling growth results.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Treatment
- a dialysis membrane impermeable to PEGe0
- Outcome
- indistinguishable resultse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“indistinguishable results when a dialysis membrane impermeable to PEG was placed between the medium and the seedlings”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate water deficit stimulated primary root elongation in light-grown seedlings.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Treatment
- moderate deficite0
- Outcome
- primary root elongatione0
- Direction
- stimulatede0
- Qualifier
- light-grown seedlingse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“For light-grown seedlings, moderate deficit also stimulated primary root elongation”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
Claim · model-written summary
Severe water deficit only partially reduced primary root elongation in light-grown seedlings.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Treatment
- severe deficite0
- Outcome
- primary root elongatione1
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- light-grown seedlingse1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“severe deficit reduced elongation only partially”
e1“For light-grown seedlings, moderate deficit also stimulated primary root elongation”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
Claim · model-written summary
Root system dry weight changed in parallel with elongation under water deficit.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Organ / stage
- root systeme0
- Outcome
- root system dry weighte0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“These changes in elongation were paralleled by changes in root system dry weight”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate deficit left lateral root elongation and initiation unaffected.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Treatment
- moderate deficite0
- Outcome
- lateral root elongation and initiatione0
- Direction
- unaffectede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At moderate deficit, lateral root elongation and initiation were unaffected”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher water stress inhibited lateral root elongation and initiation.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Treatment
- higher stress levelse0
- Outcome
- lateral root elongation and initiatione1
- Direction
- inhibitede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“at higher stress levels both were inhibited”
e1“lateral root elongation and initiation were unaffected”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
Claim · model-written summary
Primary root diameter increased steadily over time in well-watered controls.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Outcome
- Primary root diametere0
- Direction
- increased steadilye0
- Qualifier
- well-watered controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Primary root diameter increased steadily with time in well-watered controls”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
Claim · model-written summary
Under water deficit, primary root diameter increased transiently, then stabilized at a diameter inversely proportional to deficit.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Treatment
- water deficite0
- Outcome
- Primary root diametere1
- Direction
- increased transientlye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“under water deficit increased transiently before stabilizing at a diameter that was inversely proportional to the deficit”
e1“Primary root diameter increased steadily with time”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate water deficit stimulated the rate of cell production.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Treatment
- moderate water deficite0
- Outcome
- rate of cell productione0
- Direction
- stimulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“moderate water deficit also stimulated the rate of cell production”
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
The same questions in other papers
drought · yield · Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress)Positive and negative results
2 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.