Chitosan antitranspirant activity is due to abscisic acid-dependent stomatal closure

Abstract Chitosan (CHT) is a natural compound able to activate the plant own defence machinery against pathogen attacks and to reduce both transpiration and stomatal opening when applied as foliar spray. The data here reported show that CHT-induced antitranspirant activity in bean plants is mediated by ABA, whose level raised over threefold in treated leaves, 24 h after foliar spraying. This is thought to induce partial stomatal closure via a H 2 O 2 -mediated process, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and histo-cytochemistry, and, in turn, a decrease of stomatal conductance to water vapor ( G w ) and transpiration rate ( E ), assessed by gas exchange measurements. The relatively high internal CO 2 concentration ( C i ) values, suggest the occurrence of a slight decrease in carboxylation efficiency after CHT treatment, which however did not prevail over stomatal limitations. The intrinsic water use efficiency (WUE i ) of CHT treated plants was not statistically different from controls and the maximal photochemical efficiency ( F v / F m ) of PSII was not affected. Moreover, CHT determined a stimulation of the xanthophyll cycle towards de-epoxidation state. On the whole, these results, besides confirming the effectiveness of CHT in reducing plant transpiration, prove that the mechanism underlying this activity differs from that showed by the commercial antitranspirant Vapor Gard ® (VP). In fact, the efficacy of the latter is based on the formation of a thin antitranspirant film over the leaf and not on the reduction of stomatal opening. Finally, suggestions for possible use of the two antitranspirants in different environmental conditions are discussed.