Abstract Water deficit is a major factor limiting crop yield in rainfed areas. We hypothesized that under water deficit the decrease of photosynthetic production stimulates: carbohydrate remobilization from leaves, stems and roots to reproductive organs; and decreasing flowering intensity and pod development. The present work aims to study the effect of water deficit during bloom and grain pod-filling stages in two indeterminate soybean cultivar, Vtop and Nidera. The following physiological parameters were evaluated by means of daily CO2 assimilation rate (Ai), dynamic of carbohydrates in tissues, plant growth, grain yield and yield components. The study was conducted in a greenhouse with plants sown in tanks of 0.5 m3. Regardless of the phenological phase, water deficit reduced Ai, plant growth and number of pods and seeds per plant. The fact that grain yield was less affected by water deficit at bloom than at grain pod-filling stage was attributed to larger seeds found at bloom. In both treatments, a sharp reduction on carbohydrate content was found in leaves, stem and roots at the beginning of pod formation. The high amounts of carbohydrates remobilized for seed growth, along with the high values of Ai observed in well-watered plants, indicate that grain yield of soybeans is source rather than sink limited. On the other hand, in water deficit treatments, a new stimulus for carbohydrate storage was found in the leaves and stem at the beginning of grain maturity, suggesting that grain yield was limited by sink capacity.

ResumoUm importante índice para a indústria sucroalcooleira é a produtividade de sacarose em cana-de-açúcar, que pode ser relacionada à capacidade da planta em acumular sacarose durante a maturação. Apesar de se conhecer a eficiência de tratamentos como a restrição hídrica e a aplicação de reguladores para estimular o acúmulo de sacarose nos colmos, pouco se conhece sobre as respostas fisiológicas da planta que levam à maturação. Nesse contexto, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as respostas fisiológicas da cana-de-açúcar a diferentes tratamentos indutores de maturação e, assim, compreender melhor a fisiologia desse processo. Duas variedades, a IACSP95-5000, de alta produtividade, e a IACSP94-2094, de produtividade moderada, foram submetidas ao déficit hídrico, à aplicação de regulador químico (etefom 480 g ha–1) e aos dois tratamentos associados. Foram medidos o crescimento, a concentração de carboidratos em folhas e colmos e as trocas gasosas. Concluiu-se que o efeito do etefom em cana-de-açúcar é genótipo-dependente, estimulando o acúmulo de sacarose no colmo e o suprimento de fotoassimilados pela fonte na variedade responsiva (IACSP95-5000). Tais efeitos não são associados à restrição do crescimento. Em relação à aplicação dos tratamentos de déficit hídrico e etefom associados, a variedade responsiva apresenta aumento no teor de sacarose no colmo nos mesmos níveis apresentados quando apenas etefom é aplicado, de modo que os tratamentos não apresentam efeitos aditivos na maturação da cana-de-açúcar.

AbstractAn important index for the ethanol industry is the sucrose yield in sugarcane, which is affected by plant ability to accumulate sucrose during ripening. Despite the known efficiency of treatments such as water restriction and the application of regulators to stimulate the sucrose storage in culms, little is known about the physiological responses of the plant that lead to ripening. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological responses of sugarcane to different ripening treatments. Two varieties, IACSP95-5000, with high yield, and IACSP94-2094, with moderate yield were subjected to water deficit or application of chemical regulator (ethephon 480 g ha–1) and both treatments associated. Growth, accumulation of carbohydrates in leaves and culms were measured. It can be concluded that the effects of ethephon on sugarcane are genotype-dependent. Ethephon stimulates sucrose accumulation in the culm and the photosynthate supply by the source in the responsive variety (IACSP95-5000). Such effects are not associated with growth restriction. In relation to the drought combined with the application of ethephon, the responsive variety shows increased sucrose content in culm at the same level as when ethephon is applied alone, hence treatments have no additive effects on sugarcane ripening.

Embora a resposta da fotossíntese de plantas de cana-de-açúcar a estresses ambientais seja conhecida, o acúmulo de fitomassa e a dinâmica de carboidratos de reserva diante da exposição simultânea ao frio e à seca são pouco conhecidos. Este trabalho objetiva investigar o efeito do déficit hídrico e da baixa temperatura radicular, isolados e simultaneamente, no genótipo de cana-de-açúcar IACSP94-2094, considerado tolerante à seca. Como hipótese, consideramos que este genótipo também é tolerante à baixa temperatura radicular, já que baixas temperaturas e déficit hídrico ocorrem simultaneamente no campo. A imposição da restrição hídrica de forma isolada ou simultaneamente à baixa temperatura radicular causou redução do potencial da água na folha e da assimilação de CO2, o que não foi observado nas plantas submetidas apenas à baixa temperatura do substrato. Os teores foliares de carboidratos não estruturais, de sacarose e de amido aumentaram nas plantas sob frio radicular. Nos tratamentos com déficit hídrico, apenas o teor de amido foliar diminuiu. Os estresses radiculares causaram aumento nos teores de açúcares solúveis totais e diminuição no teor de amido nas raízes. Como o acúmulo de fitomassa das plantas não foi afetado, mesmo com a restrição no crescimento radicular nos tratamentos com baixa temperatura do substrato, conclui-se que o genótipo de cana-de-açúcar IACSP94-2094 contém indícios de tolerância à baixa temperatura radicular. A manutenção do crescimento da planta deve estar associada à degradação das reservas de amido foliares e radiculares.

Although the photosynthetic responses of sugarcane plants to environmental stresses are well documented, the biomass accumulation and the dynamic of carbohydrate reserves under simultaneous exposure of roots to low temperature and drought are not known. This work aims to investigate the effect of water deficit and low substrate temperature stresses, occurring alone or in combination, on the sugarcane IACSP94-2094, a drought-tolerant genotype. As our hypothesis, we assume that this genotype is also tolerant to low substrate temperature, since low temperatures and water deficit occur simultaneously under field conditions. The water deficit alone or in combination with low substrate temperature caused reductions in leaf water potential and CO2 assimilation, which was not observed in plants subjected only to low substrate temperature. The leaf concentration of non-structural carbohydrates, sucrose and starch increased in plants under root chilling. In plants subjected to water deficit, we noticed decreases in leaf starch concentration. The root stresses caused an increase in the total soluble sugar concentration and reduction in starch concentration in sugarcane roots. As the plant biomass accumulation was not affected, even with the impairment of root growth under low substrate temperature, we conclude that the sugarcane genotype IACSP94-2094 presents evidence of tolerance to low root temperature. The maintenance of plant growth was likely associated with the breakdown of leaf and root reserves of starch.