Growth, water relations and solute accumulation in osmotically stressed seedlings of the tropical tree Colophospermum mopane.

Root and hypocotyl elongation, water status and solute accumulation were studied in osmotically stressed seedlings of the tropical tree, Colophospermum mopane (Kirk ex Benth.) Kirk ex J. Léonard, which grows in hot arid areas of southern and central Africa. Seeds were imbibed for 24 h and then subjected to a polyethylene-glycol-generated osmotic stress of -0.03 (control), -0.2, -0.8, -1.6 or -2.0 MPa for 60 h. Seedlings subjected to moderate water stress (-0.2 MPa) had higher root growth rates (2.41 +/- 0.24 mm h(-1)), greater final root lengths (111 +/- 3.8 mm) and longer cells immediately behind the root elongation zone than control seedlings (1.70 +/- 0.15 mm h(-1) and 93 +/- 3.9 mm, respectively). Root lengths of seedlings in the -0.8 and -1.6 MPa treatments were similar to those of control seedlings, whereas the -2.0 MPa seedlings had significantly shorter roots. Both root and hypocotyl tissues exhibited considerable osmotic adjustment to the external water potential treatments. Seedlings in the -0.03, -0.2, and -0.8 MPa treatments had similar cell turgor pressures (0.69 +/- 0.10, 0.68 +/- 0.07 and 0.57 +/- 0.04 MPa, respectively), whereas the -2.0 MPa treatment lowered cell turgor pressure to 0.17 +/- 0.04 MPa. Root vacuolar osmotic pressures were generally similar to sap osmotic pressures, indicating that the increased root elongation observed in moderately water-stressed seedlings was not caused by increased turgor pressure difference. Neutral-fraction solute concentrations, including the osmoticum pinitol, increased approximately two-fold in root sap in response to a low external water potential. In hypocotyl sap of seedlings in the -2.0 MPa treatment, pinitol more than doubled, sucrose increased from about 2 to 75 mol m(-3) but glucose and fructose remained unchanged and, as a result, total sugars increased only slightly. The benefits of rapid early root elongation and osmoticum accumulation under conditions of water stress are discussed in relation to seedling establishment.