Measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence is an effective way of determining
how well plants can cope with low-water conditions.

The technique described in the open access journal Plant Methods, published
by BioMed Central, allows a quantitative and precise determination of
viability in intact, drought-stressed plants.

Due to the increasing demands of industrial, municipal and agricultural
consumption on dwindling water supplies, botanists are increasingly engaged
in efforts to cultivate plants that have low water requirements. Barry
Pogson led a team of researchers from the Australian National University who
investigated whether chlorophyll fluorescence could be used in the
assessment of plant water status during such studies. He said "We found that
plants' viability during increasing water deficit could be measured and
quantified by measuring changes to the maximum efficiency of photosystem II
(Fv/Fm), and that this was easily measurable by chlorophyll fluorometry."

Other methods of assessing plants' performance under water deficit have
serious drawbacks. Methods that involve detaching parts of the plant are
destructive and survival studies rely on qualitative observation of physical
symptoms of water deficit stress such as turgor loss, chlorosis, and other
qualities that can vary greatly between specimens and are also sensitive to
experimental conditions. Chlorophyll fluorescence is non-invasive and
minimal technical expertise and a basic understanding of fluorometry. Pogson
said "By correlating the decline in the Fv/Fm parameter to loss of
viability, our procedure allows the monitoring of survival under water
deficit conditions, namely defining a threshold of 33% of well-watered Fv/Fm
values."

This procedure may complement existing methods of evaluating drought
performance while also increasing the number of tools available for
assessment of other plant stresses.

Notes to Editors

A rapid, non-invasive procedure for quantitative assessment of drought
survival using chlorophyll fluorescence
Nick S Woo, Murray R Badger and Barry J Pogson
Plant Methods 2008, 4:27 doi:10.1186/1746-4811-4-27

Article available at the journal website: www.plantmethods.com

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