XVI International Botanical Congess
Reduced oxygen availability results in changes in gene expression concomitant with improved survival. Most of the genes which are transcriptionally activated and lead to increased enzyme activity are involved in sucrose breakdown, glycolysis and fermentation. Using mutants including those produced by transformation with antisense and sense constructions, we investigated the role of several gene products in anaerobic tolerance. In roots of maize seedlings, sucrose synthase expression is essential for anaerobic tolerance whereas hexokinase and lactate dehydrogenase induction in tomato roots is dispensable. Improving anaerobic tolerance will most probably require coordinate induction of many gene products.