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Tolerance to water deficit in diploid (2x) and doubled diploid (4x) 'Carrizo citrange' (Citrus sinensis [L.] Osbeck × Poncirus trifoliata [L.] Raf) was investigated. Water deficit was applied for 4 weeks. Physiological parameters, including stomatal conductance (gs), photosynthesis (A), transpiration (E), leaf and soil water potentials (Ψleaf; Ψsoil), and pot water loss, were monitored throughout the stress. Moreover, ABA, H2O2 contents, and the expression of genes involved in ABA biosynthesis (NCED3), regulation of abscisic acid signaling (ABI1), and coding for a catalase enzyme (CAT2) known to favor H2O2 scavenging were monitored. During the experiment gs, A, and E values were most of the time higher in 2x compared to 4x. During the water deficit period, pot water loss decreased faster in 2x compared to 4x, leading to a faster decrease in all physiological parameters in 2x. The higher sensitivity of 2x compared to 4x was correlated with more numerous thinner roots, higher leaf ABA and H2O2 contents, and with the lower leaf water potential. ABI1 and NCED3 expression was not strictly correlated with the ABA content. However, the higher CAT2 expression in 4x was correlated with the lower leaf H2O2 contents. Therefore, the better tolerance observed in 4x 'Carrizo citrange' compared to 2x was associated with more limited water consumption and better and H2O2 scavenging.

Posidonia oceanica is a marine phanerogam, largely widespread in the Mediterranean sea, representing an important food substrate for many marine organisms. A progressive reduction of P. oceanica meadows has been reported, due to anthropogenic coastal activity. Studying mechanisms by which this species responds to environmental stresses, three DNA sequences putatively encoding metallothioneins (MTs) have been isolated, by PCR. Two sequences, Pomt2a (accession no. AJ249603) and Pomt2b (accession no. AJ249602), show high similarities with genes encoding type-II MTs and are interrupted by two and one intron, respectively. The third sequence, Pomt2c (accession no. AJ249604), is supposed to be a pseudogene, originated by retrotranscription of the Pomt2b mRNA. These sequences belong to a multigene family with at least five members. Northern hybridizations indicated that MT transcripts accumulation is constitutive and seasonally regulated. MT encoding RNAs increase after rhyzome harvesting and (at a lesser extent) after 15 d of cultivation in an aquarium. As for animal MTs, transcripts accumulation is observed also after exposure to trace metals such as copper and cadmium. In the case of copper, the effect depends on concentration. Finally, taking into consideration the great interest in studying the biogeochemical cycle of mercury in the Mediterranean basin and since P. oceanica is commonly considered a bioindicator of this metal, the effect of mercury treatments on the accumulation of MT transcripts has been analyzed: in only a few experiments a small increase in the level of transcripts was recorded, suggesting that MTs are not key elements in the mercury accumulation by this species.