Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

1991

Department

Agriculture

Keywords

drought tolerence, cell membrane lipids, polyethylene glycol

Abstract

Drought tolerance in a number of crop species has been correlated with changes in and composition of cell membrane lipids. Since membrane stability is a function of the physical properties of the lipid constituents, recent studies have focused on lipid changes in response to natural and artifically-induced water stress. Such studies have clearly shown that lipid adjustment and composition differs in drought-resistant and -tolerant species.

A difficulty in working with higher plant systems is that vascular plants make structural and functional level adjustments which aid in drought resistance and which affect the process of adjustment at the cellular level. For this reason, in vitro cell culture techniques have many advantages in studying stress responses. Thus, the objectives of this research were to determine the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) -induced osmotic stress on the lipid and sterol composition of osmotic tolerant and susceptible species of unicellular algae belonging to the genus Chlorella.

Comments

Presented at the Annual Conference of the Plant Growth Regulation Society of America, 1991.

Full Proceedings are available at http://www.pgrsa.org/sites/default/files/conference_proceedings/pgrsa-1991.pdf

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