Water relation parameters of the CAM plant Kalanchoë daigremontiana in relation to diurnal malate oscillations

Abstract

In the CAM plant Kalanchoë daigremontiana, kept in an environmental rhythm of 12 h L: 12 h D in a growth chamber at 60% relative humidity and well watered in the root medium, decreasing water potentials and osmotic potentials of the leaves are correlated with malate accumulation in the dark. In the light increasing water and osmotic potentials (ψ _W and ψ _S ) are associated with decreasing malate levels. Transpiratory H₂O loss is high in dark and low in light. In continuous light, the CAM rhythm rapidly disappears in the form of a highly damped endogenous oscillation. Malate levels, and water and osmotic potentials of the leaves remain correlated as described above. However, transpiration is very high as malate levels decrease and water and osmotic potentials increase. It can concluded, that water relation parameters like total water potential (ψ _W ) and osmotic potential (ψ _S ) change in close correlation with changes of malic acid levels. As an important osmotically active solute in CAM plants, malic acid appears to affect water relations independently of and in addition to transpiration. The question remains open, whether turgor (ψ _P ) is involved in CAM regulation in intact plants in a similar way as it determines malate fluxes in leaf slices.