Diurnal variation in gas exchange and nonstructural carbohydrates throughout sugarcane development
Amanda P. De Souza A B , Adriana Grandis A , Bruna C. Arenque-Musa A and Marcos S. Buckeridge A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Laboratory of Plant Physiological Ecology, Department of Botany, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, SP, Brazil.
B Current address: Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61801, IL, USA.
C Corresponding author. Email: msbuck@usp.br
Functional Plant Biology 45(8) 865-876 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP17268
Submitted: 18 June 2017 Accepted: 10 February 2018 Published: 27 March 2018
Abstract
Photosynthesis and growth are dependent on environmental conditions and plant developmental stages. However, it is still not clear how the environment and development influence the diurnal dynamics of nonstructural carbohydrates production and how they affect growth. This is particularly the case of C4 plants such as sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). Aiming to understand the dynamics of leaf gas exchange and nonstructural carbohydrates accumulation in different organs during diurnal cycles across the developmental stages, we evaluated these parameters in sugarcane plants in a 12-month field experiment. Our results show that during the first 3 months of development, light and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) were the primary drivers of photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and growth. After 6 months, in addition to light and VPD, drought, carbohydrate accumulation and the mechanisms possibly associated with water status maintenance were also likely to play a role in gas exchange and growth regulation. Carbohydrates vary throughout the day in all organs until Month 9, consistent with their use for growth during the night. At 12 months, sucrose is accumulated in all organs and starch had accumulated in leaves without any diurnal variation. Understanding of how photosynthesis and the dynamics of carbohydrates are controlled might lead to strategies that could increase sugarcane’s biomass production.
Additional keywords: carbohydrate metabolism, carbon partitioning, growth regulation, Saccharum, sugar accumulation, sugar sensing.
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