Mechanisms of drought resistance in conifers: decrease and recovery of water transport under different drought intensities.

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K05729
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 40010:Forest science-related
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Miki Naoko 岡山大学, 環境生命科学学域, 教授 (30379721)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 水輸送 / 通水阻害 / 乾燥ストレス / 回復 / 水分布 / 乾燥地 / 針葉樹

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, regarding to the short-term fluctuation mechanism of the xylem water transport, which is an important mechanism for drought resistance, I clarified that the decrease in the xylem water transport in conifers may be related not only to cavitation of tracheid but also to the increase in pit hydraulic resistance due to the flexibility in the pit membrane of tracheid etc., and therefore, the decrease in xylem water transport may be recoverable in the short term in conifers as well.

Free Research Field

農学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は針葉樹において通水機能の短期的な回復が起こりうることを新たに提示したもので、樹木全体の通水維持機構の解明につながる極めて新規的な知見でインパクトの大きな成果であると考えられる。更に、通水阻害が乾燥に伴う樹木枯損に与える影響は非常に大きいことを踏まえると、このような機構は乾燥抵抗性機構としても非常に重要であり、乾燥地の緑化等における緑化樹種の探索や作出の観点においても非常に有意義な成果であると考えられる。