Developmental regulation of water uptake in wheat

The discovery of aquaporins has provided a new basis for studying and interpreting water relations in plants. However, slow progress has been made in elucidating the functional facets of the aquaporin-mediated water pathway in whole plant systems. While increasing experimental evidence suggests that these proteins are directly involved in mediating water homeostasis at varying environmental conditions, only a few attempts have been made to understand their contribution to overall water transport at different developmental stages. By using a chemical inhibitor (HgCl2) of aquaporins function, here we present in planta evidence for both diurnal and developmental regulation of aquaporin activity in wheat. We demonstrate that the greatest sensitivity of water flux to pharmacological blockage occurs at the stage of ear emergence and does not coincide with the phenological stage at which the greatest plant water uptake occurs (milky ripeness). The relationship transpiration flux (Q) vs. soil–leaf water potential difference (ΔΨsoil–leaves) revealed a gradual decrease of plant resistance to water flux from tillering to milky ripeness, both in HgCl2-treated and untreated control plants. However, the mercury-inhibition of water flux began to gradually increase at ear emergence, suggesting that a larger portion of water moves through aquaporins from this developmental stage on. Although the intercept of the ΔΨsoil–leaves/Q regression line, i.e. the ΔΨ required to initiate the water flux through the soil–plant–air continuum, was generally not affected by mercury treatment, a significant mercury effect on the intercept was observed at the stage of ear formation. These findings may have important implications for predicting which strategy plants utilize to optimize water use during their life cycle.