Partial root-zone drying irrigation improves intrinsic water-use efficiency and maintains high photosynthesis by uncoupling stomatal and mesophyll conductance in cotton leaves.

Partial root-zone drying irrigation (PRD) can improve water-use efficiency (WUE) without reductions in photosynthesis; however, the mechanism by which this is attained is unclear. To amend that, PRD conditions were simulated by polyethylene glycol 6000 in a root-splitting system and the effects of PRD on cotton growth were studied. Results showed that PRD decreased stomatal conductance (g s ) but increased mesophyll conductance (g m ). Due to the contrasting effects on g s and g m , net photosynthetic rate (A N ) remained unaffected, while the enhanced g m /g s ratio facilitated a larger intrinsic WUE. Further analyses indicated that PRD-induced reduction of g s was related to decreased stomatal size and stomatal pore area in adaxial and abaxial surface which was ascribed to lower pore length and width. PRD-induced variation of g m was ascribed to the reduced liquid-phase resistance, due to increases in chloroplast area facing to intercellular airspaces and the ratio of chloroplast surface area to total mesophyll cell area exposed to intercellular airspaces, as well as to decreases in the distance between cell wall and chloroplast, and between adjacent chloroplasts. The above results demonstrate that PRD, through alterations to stomatal and mesophyll structures, decoupled g s and g m responses, which ultimately increased intrinsic WUE and maintained A N .