Leaf water and osmotic potential, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, and electrolyte leakage were measured to evaluate tolerance to water stress in wild-type (WT) and transgenic tobacco plants (TR) expressing copper/zink superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in chloroplasts. Leaf water potential of both WT and TR plants decreased similarly under water stress condition. However, leaf osmotic potential of TR plants more negatively decreased in the process of dehydration, compared with WT plants, suggesting osmotic adjustment. Stomatal conductance (Gs) in WT plants markedly decreased from the Day 4 after withholding water, while that in TR plants retained relatively high values. Relatively low chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate under water stress were shown in WT plants since 4th day after treatment. In particular, damage indicated by electrolyte leakage during water stress was higher in WT plants than in TR plants. On the other hand, SOD and APX activity was remarkably higher in TR plants. These results indicate that transgenic tobacco plants expressing copper/zink superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in chloroplasts improve tolerance to water stress.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cutting types on microclimate and growth characteristics of afforested tree in Quercus acutissima stand after different types of cutting. The difference in temperature reaching 5.2℃ was shown in between clear cutting and selective cutting treatments. On July and August days with temperatures more than 35℃ often appeared in clear cutting stand. The values of VPD in July and August were higher than those in other months. Maximum VPD of 3.99 kPa was shown in clear cutting stand on May 23 as a prolonged rainless days appeared. However, VPD in selective cutting stand always stayed under 3.0 kPa throughout growing season. A higher intensity was shown in clear cutting and strip clear cutting stands, reaching to more than 1,600 μmol m-2 s-1 at midday on early August, while that in selective cutting stand stayed about 1,500. In relative growth rate selective cutting stand showed a significantly higher relative growth rate in plant height than those in other cutting stands (p<0.05). The number of leaf in current-year branches significantly increased in selective cutting stand, whereas no increase was shown in clear cutting and strip clear cutting stands (p<0.05). In addition, relative elongation rate of current year branch also showed higher values in selective cutting stand compared with that in strip clear cutting stand (p<0.05). However, leaf mass per unit area (LMA) was higher in order of strip clear cutting, clear cutting, and selective cutting stands. From these results it is concluded that environmental conditions in clear cutting and strip clear cutting stands during growing season are more stressful to afforested tree species, resulting in lower relative growth in plant height, elongation of current-year branches, and leaf number per branch compared with those in selective cutting stand. Consequently, more data must be accumulated in the field to find out best cutting type in plantation considering the adaptational characteristic of each tree species varies with species and life span of tree is long.

Dry matter allocation characteristics of Calystegia soldanella, grown in pots, was analysed to assess its plasticity in response to water-stressed conditions. As water was withheld leaf water potential between the two watering treatments was similar during the first 6 days, followed by a rapid decrease in water-stressed plants. The minimum leaf water potential was -1.50 MPa on day 15 and the maximum leaf water potential was about -0.5 MPa on day 0 in water-stressed plants. In well-watered plants leaf water potential was maintained almost consistently throughout the experiment. There was no significant difference in plant dry weight between the two watering treatments for 9 days after the start of experiment and that was remarkably increased thereafter, compared with that remained without any increase in water-stressed plants. In dry mass partitioning, however, the water-stressed plants showed a great plasticity, showing that there were 1.81, 1.35 and 0.81 times increase in root, stem and leaf, respectively. Dry mass partitioning in well-watered plants varied from 2% to 5%. The difference of dry mass partitioning between the two watering treatments was reflected in leaf mass per unit area (LMA) and root/shoot (R/S) ratio. LMA in water-stressed plants was lower than that in well-watered plants, while R/S ratio in water-stressed plants was higher in well-watered plants. This means that the water-stressed plants reduced its leaf area and increased dry mass partitioning into root and stem during the progress of soil drying. These results indicate that Calystegia soldanella inhabiting in sand dune cope with water stress with high plasticity which can adjust its dry mass partitioning according to soil water conditions.

To evaluate heat environment surrounding plants diurnal change of leaf temperature in the broad-leaved deciduous and evergreen trees was measured with microclimatic environmental factors including global solar radiation, and upward and downward long wave radiation. Maximum daily solar radiation was 961.2 and 976.3 w/m2 in August 9 and 23, respectively. Upward long wave radiation was slightly higher than downward long wave radiation, showing 404.2 w/m2 in August 9 and 394.5 w/m2 in August 23. In addition, daily maximum vapor pressure deficit was 5.42 and 6.84 kPa in August 9 and 23, respectively, indicating high evaporative demand. Quercus glauca and Acer mono was differently responded to changing light regimes. On August 9, leaf temperature at the top-positioned leaves of Acer plants was higher than air temperature as well as those of Quercus plants in the morning. This indicates that stomata in Acer plants were closed by heat stress or water stress in the morning, while Quercus plant maintained active transpiration by opening stomata. These results indicated that improved light regimes such as gap opening in the closed forest may not always affect positively in the physiology of understory plants.

To assess resistance of transgenic tobacco plants which overexpress superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in chloroplasts to water stress, changes in leaf water potential, turgor potential, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate were measured. Leaf water potential in all plants remained high up to day 4 after withholding water but thereafter decreased markedly. In spite of a remarkable decrease in leaf water potential, some of transgenic plants maintained higher turgor potential compared with control plant on day 12. In particular, the transgenic plant expressing MnSOD showed an outstanding maintenance in turgor pressure by osmotic adjustment throughout the experiment, resulting in high stomatal conductance and transpiration rate. However, among transgenic plants, osmotic potential was reduced more effectively in multiple transformants such as the double transformant expressing both MnSOD and APX, and the triple transformant expressing CuznSOD, MnSOD and APX than single transformants. Consequently, further research is needed to get general agreement on the tolerance of transgenic plants to water stress at different growth stages for each transgenic plant.