Changes in the xylem sap metabolome of tomato and lupin with Fe deficiency

Abstract

Plant xylem sap contains mainly water and minerals, but also contains low concentrations of a wide array of organic compounds, including amino acids, organic acids, hormones, polyamines and proteins. Changes in xylem sap composition caused by abiotic stresses such as Fe deficiency are important for plant growth and development, and for instance it is well known that signals traveling via xylem from roots to shoots modulate plant growth and transpiration. In previous studies dealing with changes in xylem sap composition in response to Fe deficiency, only a small number of compounds have been determined simultaneously. In this study, an untargeted metabolomic analysis was carried out to quantify the changes in xylem sap constituents under Fe-deficiency and Fe-resupply.