Stronger drought tolerance in C4 compared with C3 grass crops is achieved via both avoidance and resistance strategies
Abstract
Grasses comprise many of the world's major cereal crops, yet the physiological mechanisms underlying their resilience to environmental stress remain unclear. While C 4 grasses tend to display higher water-use efficiency than C 3 grasses, little is known about the underlying physiological and structural dynamics during mild and severe dehydration. We tested the sequence of decline with dehydration in leaf, root, and whole-plant hydraulic functions, and in leaf gas exchange and photochemistry (F v /F m ) across three C 3 and three C 4 grass crop species, along with their rehydration capacity post-dehydration. We observed distinct strategies between the C 3 and C 4 species in response to water stress. The three C 4 species experienced their peak intrinsic water-use efficiency earlier during dehydration, displayed greater hydraulic supply relative to demand, and had higher turgor loss points. The three C 4 species also showed greater resistance to photochemical damage and embolism under severe dehydration. The three C 4 species had higher leaf capacitance, and experienced greater leaf shrinkage than the three C 3 species. Our findings reveal that variation among photosynthetic types can be associated with contrasts in both drought avoidance and resistance traits, contributing to a broader understanding of how different photosynthetic pathways influence plant performance under stress.
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BibTeX
@article{boisseaux2026stronger,
title = {{Stronger drought tolerance in C4 compared with C3 grass crops is achieved via both avoidance and resistance strategies}},
author = {Marion Boisseaux and Miquel Nadal and Caetano Albuquerque and Jesse Gomez and Larissa Garcia and Chiara Amitrano and Marvin Browne and Andrew J Mcelrone and Lawren Sack and Christine Scoffoni},
journal = {Journal of Experimental Botany},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1093/jxb/erag393},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05796704v1},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Stronger drought tolerance in C4 compared with C3 grass crops is achieved via both avoidance and resistance strategies
AU - Marion Boisseaux
AU - Miquel Nadal
AU - Caetano Albuquerque
AU - Jesse Gomez
AU - Larissa Garcia
AU - Chiara Amitrano
AU - Marvin Browne
AU - Andrew J Mcelrone
AU - Lawren Sack
AU - Christine Scoffoni
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
JO - Journal of Experimental Botany
DO - 10.1093/jxb/erag393
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05796704v1
AB - Grasses comprise many of the world's major cereal crops, yet the physiological mechanisms underlying their resilience to environmental stress remain unclear. While C 4 grasses tend to display higher water-use efficiency than C 3 grasses, little is known about the underlying physiological and structural dynamics during mild and severe dehydration. We tested the sequence of decline with dehydration in leaf, root, and whole-plant hydraulic functions, and in leaf gas exchange and photochemistry (F v /F m ) across three C 3 and three C 4 grass crop species, along with their rehydration capacity post-dehydration. We observed distinct strategies between the C 3 and C 4 species in response to water stress. The three C 4 species experienced their peak intrinsic water-use efficiency earlier during dehydration, displayed greater hydraulic supply relative to demand, and had higher turgor loss points. The three C 4 species also showed greater resistance to photochemical damage and embolism under severe dehydration. The three C 4 species had higher leaf capacitance, and experienced greater leaf shrinkage than the three C 3 species. Our findings reveal that variation among photosynthetic types can be associated with contrasts in both drought avoidance and resistance traits, contributing to a broader understanding of how different photosynthetic pathways influence plant performance under stress.
SN - 0022-0957
SN - 1460-2431
ER -