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© 1995 Oxford University Press

RESEARCH-ARTICLE

Water relations and abscisic acid levels of watermelon as affected by rooting volume restriction

Aimin Liu 1 and Joyce G. Latimer2

Department of Horticulture, University of Georgia, Georgia Experiment Station, Griffin GA 30223–1797, USA

2To whom correspondence should be addressed. Fax: + 1 404 412 4764

Rooting volume restriction (RVR) reduces shoot growth of plants provided with sufficient water or nutrients. The effects of RVR on water status, abscisic acid (ABA) levels in leaves, roots, or xylem sap from detopped plants of watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai ‘StarBrite’] seedlings were evaluated with five rooting volumes (18, 26, 36, 46, or 80 cm3). Shoot water potential increased with increasing rooting volume, with no difference between plants from 18 and 26 cm3 cells or between plants from 36 and 46 cm3 cells. Stomatal conductance was not consistently affected by RVR; at 10 and 20 DAE, stomatal conductance in plants grown in 36 cm3 cells was higher than that of plants grown in any other cell volume. Severe RVR (18 and/or 26 cm3) tended to produce plants with higher ABA levels in roots (15 DAE only), xylem sap (all dates), and leaves (5 and 10 DAE). Plants grown in 18 and 26 cm3 cells had higher root ABA levels than those from 46 and 80 cm3 cells at 15 DAE. Plants grown in 18 cm3 cells had the highest xylem sap ABA level at all dates, but ABA levels did not differ among plants grown in the other cell volumes. Plants grown in 18 cm3 cells at 5 DAE and 18 and 26 cm3 cells at 10 DAE also had higher leaf ABA levels than those from other rooting volumes. The results suggest that ABA may act as a signal for reduced growth of plants under RVR conditions.

Key words: Abscisic acid, ABA, root signals, root volume restriction, water relations


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