Sugar signalling is involved in the sex expression response of monoecious cucumber to low temperature

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate how low temperature alters the sex expression of monoecious cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.). Plants were grown under different day/night temperature regimes, 28 °C/18 °C (12 h/12 h), 18 °C/12 °C, 28 °C/12 °C, and 28 °C/(6 h 18 °C+6 h 12 °C). It was found that plant femaleness is highest in the 28 °C/(6 h 18 °C+6 h 12 °C) treatment. Analysis of endogenous phytohormones and sugars in the shoot apex revealed that plant femaleness is positively correlated with the levels of ethylene, abscisic acid (ABA), glucose, and sucrose. Exogenous application experiments suggest that ABA and ethylene biosynthesis, as well as plant femaleness, was enhanced by glucose, sucrose, and mannose, but not by 3-O-methylglucose. Exogenous ABA had no significant effect on ethylene biosynthesis and plant femaleness. Both low temperature- and sugar-induced ABA biosynthesis, ethylene evolution, and plant femaleness can be antagonized by the hexokinase inhibitor glucosamine and the ABA biosynthesis inhibitor nordihydroguaiaretic acid. It is concluded that the enhancement of cucumber femaleness under various temperature regimes is induced by elevated levels of glucose and sucrose in the shoot apex through a sugar signalling pathway involving hexokinase.

Involvement of ethylene in sex expression and female flower development in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

“…Given that the apical shoots of watermelon plants growing at 32 C produce less ethylene than those of plants growing at 25 C, it is likely that the higher temperature induces a reduction in ethylene production, which results in monoecy instability and in the production of bisexual flowers. In cucumber it has been also reported that daylength and temperature can alter the production of ethylene and the formation of male or female flowers (Rudich et al, 1972a,b;Yamasaki et al, 2003), a process that seems to be mediated by sugar signaling (Miao et al, 2011).…”

The Effect of Photoperiodism With Led Light on Productivity of Female Flower in Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus L.)

“…This result was positively correlated to the respective sugar content in both lines. Similarly, Miao, et al, (Miao et al, 2010) also reported that sugar was highly accumulated in accordance to high level of ethylene. Based on sugar content, ethylene production, and flowers, we could draw a conclusion that Mercy line is a neutral day plant and KE 27187 is a long day plant.…”

“…This could be explained by the fact that short day irradiation could increase ethylene production which induce more female flowers (Yamasaki et al, 2003). In addition to light, high content of sucrose was also correlated to higher production of ethylene (Miao et al, 2010). Based on these previous results, we performed a study to evaluate the effect of photoperiod using LEDs on sexual determination in two lines of cucumbers, i.e.…”

Expression and functional analysis of the transcription factor-encoding Gene CsERF004 in cucumber during Pseudoperonospora cubensis and Corynespora cassiicola infection

“…The ET content was determined by gas chromatography [76]. SA extraction was performed as described elsewhere [77], and a plant SA ELISA kit (Shanghai, China enzyme biotechnology Co., Ltd.) was used to determine the SA content.…”