Male Populus cathayana than female shows higher photosynthesis and less cellular injury through ABA-induced manganese transporting inhibition under high manganese condition

Key message High Mn poisoned male and female Populus cathayana . The toxicity could be alleviated by exogenous ABA application. Intriguingly, ABA granted higher resistance to males than to females under high Mn stress because ABA could induce more blocking of Mn translocation to leaf in males than in females . Abstract Abscisic acid (ABA) is involved in plants’ adaptive responses to various environmental stresses. However, little is known about the sex-related detoxification of ABA in plants under excess manganese (Mn) conditions. To reveal potentially different ABA detoxification mechanisms between Populus cathayana males and females against excess Mn exposure, photosynthesis performance, Mn 2+ concentrations and morphologic changes were investigated. High Mn stress led to a more severe chloroplast destruction and, thus, greater reduction in the photosynthesis of P. cathayana females when compared to males. Under high Mn conditions, Mn reallocated mainly to leaves in females, while in males, it was distributed equally to roots and leaves. With the application of ABA, photosynthesis was restored more in males and more integrated grana in males than in females. It should be noted that Mn concentrations in males were lower in leaves and higher in roots and stems than those in females when treated with the combination of Mn and ABA. Conclusively, due to the reduction of root–shoot Mn transportation induced by ABA in P. cathayana males, males experienced less physiological injuries than do females, which suggest that males possess greater ABA-inducible resistance to Mn stress than do females.