Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

Struve, I., Weber, A., Liittge, U., Ball, E. Smith, J.A.C. (1985). Increased vacuolar ATPase activity correlated with CAM induction in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum and Kalanchoe blossfeldiana cv. Tom Thumb. Journal of Plant Physiology, 117, 451-68. 

Recently, it has been shown that exogenous supply of nitrate plays a crucial role in CO fixation in the CAM plant Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (2). The most surprising feature of our data is the correlation that is found between NR/NO ratio and the quantum of malate production, which reveals that nitrate assimilation efficiency, rather than availability of nitrate, may be an important factor in CO fixation in the CAM plants. 

Gentisic acid glycosides act as leaf movement factors in Mimosa species (E 2.2). Gallic acid is an inhibitor of flowering in Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (E 2.2). Benzoic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid as well as protocatechuic acid methyl and ethyl esters are secreted from the pygidial glands of water beetles as antiseptics and feeding deterrents (E 5.1). 

Gallic acid (D 22.2.5) Flowering inhibitor in leaves of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana... 

Juice from kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) bulblets 251,3 1,78... 

Christensen B, Sriskandatajah S, Serek M, Muller R (2008) Transformation of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana with rol-genes is useful in molecular breeding towards compact growth. Plant Cell Rep 27 1485-1495. doi 1007/s00299-008-0575-0... 

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, 2951 Kale, 3928 Kalkitoxin, 41 Kangai-1, 2203 Kaposi s carcinoma, 2799 Kappa, 1371 Karenitecm, 666 Karrikm, 3595... 

Gossipium turbareum Kalanchoe daigremontiana Kalanchoe tubiflora Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Sedum morganianum Tillandsia usneoides Carpobrotus edulis... 

Fig. 3.2. Separation of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana organic acids by elution from a silicic acid column. Malic acid is the most abundant organic acid (data of O. Queiroz, by permission)...

Figure 3.2 shows a typical silicic acid chromatogram of organic acids from a crassulacean succulent. In this case, with Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, malic acid is the dominant acid. 

It has been known since the early 1940 s that the CO2 metabolism of certain CAM plants, viz., the short-day plant Kalanchoe blossfeldiana responds dramatically to photoperiod (Bode, 1942). Studies by Schmitz (1951) and Gregory et al. (1954) showed that CAM activity (as measured by dark CO2 fixation) was induced by short days and prevented by long days or light interruption of long nights (see Fig. 5.5). These and other studies (Wilkins, 1962a, b Queiroz, 1974) have clearly shown that this photoperiod response is phytochrome mediated. 

Fig. 4.10. Effect of short days on the variation in malic acid content in Kalanchoe blossfeldiana at beginning of the night (2) and at the end of the night (1) (after Queiroz and...

Fig. 5.5. Dark CO2 exchange in Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, precultivated under long-day conditions (161 8 d), as influenced by increasing numbers of short days (81 16 d) (modified...

Gregory et al. (1954) observed in Kalanchoe blossfeldiana that both dark CO2 fixation and CO2 uptake in the light period are affected by photoperiod. Plants precultivated under long-day conditions take up external CO2 throughout the day with little depression. With increasing numbers of short days, a depression of daytime CO2 fixation occurs, and finally even massive output of CO2 may be observed (Fig. 5.11). Since short-day treatments increase the nocturnal CO2... 

It is not known if the CO2 output rhythms described above are accompanied by corresponding oscillations in malic acid concentrations. Clearly, such acid changes would occur if the rhythmic phenomena were CAM-related. Since CO2-free air inhibits malic acid accumulation even in normal day/night cycles (Wolf, 1960 Kluge, 1968 b), the rhythmic phenomena described by Wilkins may not be CAM-related. However, Queiroz (1975) reported a circadian CO2 output rhythm by Kalanchoe blossfeldiana in normal air in darkness as did Wilkins (1959) with B.fedtschenkoi. Hence, the rhythms are probably not the result of the C02-free air, but since we do not know more about corresponding malic acid fluctuations, we cannot determine the extent to which the rhythmic CO2 output is CAM related. 

Such speculation presumes, however, that the rhythm is a general feature of CAM plants. Despite the fact that Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, K, daigremontiana, and Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi are typical CAM plants, only a few species have... 

For example, in one study by Ting et al. (1967) with Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, under a variety of temperature conditions, minimum estimates ranged from 2 to lOscm F Studies by Szarek (Szarek et al., 1973 Szarek and Ting, 1974b) and more recently by Hanscom with Opuntia basilaris have shown minima rarely below 2 s cm" and on the average 5-10 s cm" For pineapple, minima are 7-lOscm" (Aubert, 1970, 1971 Bartholomew, 1975). In all cases, can exceed 100 s cm" and may be as much as several hundred (Neales et al., 1968). 

By and large, succulent plants have fewer stomata distributed over exposed surfaces than most mesophytic, nonsucculent plants (Table 5.3). Verduin (1949) estimated an average stomatal density of about 10,000 cmOur specific estimate for Kalanchoe blossfeldiana was 3274+108 cm" for the adaxial surface and 4698 +118 cm for the abaxial surface (Ting et al., 1967 see Table 5.4). 

Bode, O. Uber Zusammenhange zwischen C02-Assimilation und Photoperiodismus bei Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. Planta 33,278-289 (1942)... 

Lange, O.L., Schwemmle,B. Untersuchungen zur Hitzeresistenz vegetativer und bluhender Pflanzen von Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. Planta 55,208-225 (1960)... 

Queiroz,0. Sur le metabolisme acide des Crassulacees. I. Action a long terme de la temperature de nuit sur la synthese d acide malique par Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Tom Thumb placee en jours courts. Physiol. V. 3,203-213 (1965)... 

Queiroz,0. Action du photoperiodisme sur I activite enzymatique dans la synth e au la degradation de I acide malique chez Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. C.R. Acad. Sci. 266, 1260-1262 (1968 b)... 

Schmitz, . Uber Beziehungen zwischen Blutenbildung in verschiedenen Licht-Dunkel-Kom-binationen und Atmungsrhythmik bei wechselnden photoperiodischen Bedingungen (Un-tersuchungen der Kalanchoe blossfeldiana), Planta 39,271-308 (1951)... 

Schwemmle,B., Lange, O.L. Endogen-tagesperiodische Schwankungen der Hitzeresistenz bei Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. Planta 53,134-144 (1959)... 

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