Water, mineral nutrient and hormone flows and exchanges in the hemiparasitic association between root hemiparasite Rhinanthus minor and the host Hordeum vulgare
Summary Using the facultative root hemiparasite Rhinanthus minor and Hordeum vulgare as a host, several aspects of water relations, the flows and partitioning of mineral nutrients, the flows, depositions and metabolism of abscisic acid (ABA) and zeatin type cytokinins (zeatin Z, zeatin riboside ZR, zeatin nucleotide ZN) within the host, the parasite and between host and parasite and the flows and partitioning of the transport metabolites mannitol in the parasite, and of sucrose in the host, have been studied during the study period 41 to 54 days after planting, i.e about 30 to 43 days after successful attachment of the parasite to the host. Water relations Extraction of xylem sap by the parasite from the host’s roots is facilitated by considerably higher transpiration per leaf area in the parasite than in the host and by the fact that stomata of attached Rhinanthus were wide open all day and night despite extremely high ABA concentrations in the leaves. By comparison, another related root hemiparasite, Melampyrum arvense, parasitising on various grasses in the field (botanic garden), showed normal diurnal stomatal behaviour. The abnormal behaviour of Rhinanthus stomata was not due to anatomical reasons as closure could be induced by applying high external ABA concentrations. Remarkable differences have been detected between the hydraulic conductance of barley seminal roots showing relatively low values, and that of Rhinanthus the seminal root showing very high values. The latter could be related to the observed high ABA concentrations in these roots. Whole plant water uptake, transpirational losses, growth-dependent deposition and the flows of water within the plants have been measured in singly growing Rhinanthus and Hordeum plants and in the parasitic association between the two. Water uptake, deposition and transpiration in Rhinanthus were dramatically increased after attachment to the barley host; most of the water used by the parasite was extracted as xylem sap from the host, thereby scavenging 20% of the total water taken up by the host’s roots. This water uptake by the parasitised host, however, due to a parasite induced reduction in the hosts growth, was decreased by 22% as compared to non- parasitised barley. The overall changes in growth-related water deposition in host and parasite pointed to decreased shoot and relatively favoured root growth in the host and to strongly favoured shoot growth and less strongly increased root growth only in the parasite. These changes in the host became more severe, when more than one Rhinanthus was parasitising one barley plant. Mineral nutrients relations 5 mM NO3- supply In parasitising Rhinanthus shoot growth was 12-fold, but root growth only twofold increased compared to the non-parasitising (very small) plants. On the other hand, in the Hordeum host, shoot dry matter growth was clearly reduced, by 33% in leaf laminae and by 52% in leaf sheaths, whereas root growth was only slightly reduced as a consequence of parasitism. Growth-dependent increments of total N and P and of K, Ca and Mg in parasitising Rhinanthus shoot were strongly increased, particularly increments of total N and P, which were 18 and 42 times, respectively, higher than in the small solitary Rhinanthus. On the other hand, increments of the above mineral nutrients in leaf sheaths of parasitised Hordeum vulgare were more strongly decreased than in leaf laminae in response to parasitic attack. Estimation of the flows of nutrients revealed that Rhinanthus withdrew from the host xylem sap about the same percentage of each nutrients: 18% of total N, 22% of P and 20% of K. Within the host almost all net flows of nutrient ions were decreased due to parasitism, but retranslocation from shoot to root-as related to xylem flow-was somewhat increased for all nutrients. Quantitative information is provided to show that the substantially increased growth in the shoot of attached Rhinanthus and the observed decrease in Hordeum shoot growth after infection were related to strongly elevated supply of nitrogen and phosphorus in the parasite and to incipient deficiency of these nutrients in the parasitised host. The flows of nutrients between host and parasite are discussed in terms of low selectivity of nutrient abstraction from the host xylem by the hemiparasite Rhinanthus minor. 1 mM NO3- or 1 mM NH4+ supply Rhinanthus shoot growth as measured by dry matter increase, was 19-fold (1 mM NO3-) and 15-fold (1 mM NH4+), but root growth only twofold (1 mM NO3-) and 2.9-fold (1 mM NH4+) increased-relative to singly growing Rhinanthus-when parasitising on host barley. In the Hordeum host, shoot dry matter growth was clearly reduced, whereas root growth was only slightly affected. Growth-dependent increments of total N and P and of K, Ca and Mg in parasitising Rhinanthus shoot were strongly increased, particularly increments of total N or of P, which were 20 or 53 times (1 mM NO3-) and 18 or 51 times (1 mM NH4+) , respectively, higher than those in solitary Rhinanthus. Within the host almost all net flows of nutrient ions were decreased due to parasitism. Flows of mannitol in parasite and sucrose flows in host barley When the plants were supplied with 5 mM NO3-, the biosynthesis of mannitol in Rhinanthus shoots increased 16-fold by parasitism, resulting in a 15-fold higher mannitol flow in the phloem and a 10-fold higher deposition in the shoot. Also the backward transport of mannitol in the xylem were increased 10-fold after attachment. Lower level nitrogen supply increased the deposition of mannitol in both single and attached Rhinanthus shoot and root. No mannitol was found in barley roots even in the direct vicinity of the haustoria. This indicates there are no backward transport of xylem sap from parasite to host. Compared to unparasitised barley, the net biosynthesis and deposition of sucrose in the shoot and the phloem flow was decreased substantially when plants were supplied with 5 mM NO3- or 1 mM NO3-. No sucrose has been detected in barley xylem sap and consequently there was no indication of a sucrose transfer from the host to the parasite. A possible involvement of mannitol in the abscisic acid relations of the parasite is discussed. ABA relations When the plants were supplied with 5 mM NO3-, there were weak or no effects of parasitism on ABA flows, biosynthesis and ABA degradation in barley. However, ABA growth-dependent deposition was significantly increased in the leaf laminae (3 fold) and in leaf sheath (2.4 fold), but not in roots. Dramatic changes in ABA flows, metabolism and deposition on a per plant basis, however, have been observed in Rhinanthus. Biosynthesis in the roots was 12-fold higher after attachment resulting in 14-fold higher ABA flows in the xylem. A large portion of this ABA was metabolised, a small portion was deposited. Phloem flows of ABA were increased 13-fold after attachment. The concentrations of ABA in tissues and xylem sap were higher in attached Rhinanthus by an order of magnitude than in host tissues and xylem sap. Similar dramatic difference existed when comparing the high concentrations in the xylem sap of single Rhinanthus with unparasitised barley. As compared to 5 mM NO3-, lower NO3- or 1 mM NH4+ supply doubled the ABA concentrations in barley leaf laminae, while having only small or no significant effects in the other organs. The possible special functions of ABA for the parasite are discussed. Zeatin type cytokinins relations Parasitism decreased, in the case of zeatin (Z), the synthesis (by 57%) in the root, xylem flows (by 56%) and metabolism (by 71%) in leaf laminae, however, increased the phloem flows of zeatin massively (3-fold) in host barley. The deposition of zeatin in the root of Rhinanthus and the flowing in xylem and phloem were 24, 12, 29-fold, respectively, increased after successfully attaching to the host barley. However, net biosynthesis of zeatin in Rhinanthus roots decreased by 39% after attachment. This indicates that a large portion (70%) of xylem flow of zeatin in attached Rhinanthus was extracted from the host. In singly growing Rhinanthus plants, the balance of zeatin deposition in the shoot was negative, i.e. zeatin was metabolised and exported back to root in the phloem. The xylem flows of zeatin riboside (ZR) in barley decreased by 39% after infected by Rhinanthus; phloem flow, which was 117% relative to xylem flow was less decreased (by 13%) after infection. Deposition of ZR has not been significantly affected in the leaf laminae, in leaf sheaths and roots. After parasitising on the host barley depositions in root, xylem flow and phloem flow increased 12, 18, 88–fold respectively in Rhinanthus. A large portion (57%) of xylem flow of ZR in attached Rhinanthus was extracted from the host. In single Rhinanthus increament of shoot zeatin riboside was negative and a substantial portion was degraded in shoot and the rest was retranslocated back to the root in the phloem. A significant depositions of Z and ZR were detected in the haustoria of the Rhinanthus/barley association. Flows and deposition of zeatin nucleotides also have been investigated. The possible physiological functions of the large quantities of Z and ZR derived from the host barley, for the improved growth and the stomatal opening in the parasitising Rhinanthus are discussed.
water, mineral nutrient, Rhinanthus, hemiparasite
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