Two reference halloysites from New Zealand (Te Puke and Opotiki) were studied by X-ray diffraction under (1) various levels of relative humidity (RH) from 95 to 0% (dehydration), and (2) various temperatures increasing from 25 to 120°C (dehydration). They were also studied by differential thermal and thermogravimetric analyses at 40 and 0.2% RH. The impact of freeze drying along with the influence of cation saturation (Ca and K) on halloysite hydration were studied. The dehydration of the two halloysite samples upon decrease in RH started below 70% RH. However, the dehydration of Opotiki was still incomplete at ∼0% RH regardless of the saturation cation whereas Te Puke was completely dehydrated at ∼10% RH. For each sample, the decrease in RH and the increase in temperature induce similar dehydration behavior, but the dehydration processes of the Opotiki and Te Puke samples are different. The dehydration of Te Puke proceeds with one intermediate hydration state reacting as a separate phase due to the presence of ‘hole’ water molecules. The dehydration of the fully hydrated Opotiki halloysite gives a dehydrated phase and no 8.6 Å phase. The results suggest the presence of different types of water molecule, the ‘associated’ and the ‘hole’ water, controlling the dehydration behavior of halloysites. Freeze-dried halloysite samples are essentially dehydrated and the size of their coherent scattering domains is strongly reduced. Rehydration experiments performed after dehydration either at 95% RH or by immersing the sample in water for 3 months result in their partial rehydration. Calcium saturation promotes the rehydration process. The results suggest the presence of interlayer cations in the Opotiki sample, Ca ions being associated with the strongly held ‘hole’ water. As a result of this study, we assert that the (de)hydration behavior of halloysite is highly heterogeneous and cannot be generalized a priori.

Desiccation tolerance is one of the most fundamental properties of seeds. It is acquired late in seed development and is considered necessary for the completion of the plant's life cycle, as an adaptive strategy to enable seed survival during storage or environmental stress, and to ensure better dissemination of the species. The role of water status in desiccated tissues and problems related to testing tolerance in seeds are reviewed. The molecular mechanisms of desiccation tolerance has received extensive consideration only during this past decade. There is a general consensus that desiccation tolerance involves the protection of cellular membranes from the deleterious effect of water removal and the resultant necessity to maintain the bilayer structure in the absence of an aqueous environment. Therefore, some aspects of desiccation-induced membrane injury are described. Several strategies for coping with cellular desiccation have been identified the presence of high amounts of non-reducing sugars, the efficiency of free radical-scavenging systems and the expression of desiccation- and/or ABA-regulated genes. These molecular mechanisms allowing cellular protection are reviewed together with their respective role in dessication tolerance. It is concluded that desiccation tolerance is not likely to be ascribed to a single mechanism but rather to a multifactorial property in which each component is equally critical.

The changes in water status of germinating and non-viable soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) seeds were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. There were distinct changes in water status between viable and non-viable soybean seeds. In dry seeds, there were only two components, bound and bulk water, as revealed by component analysis of NMR (T2) data. On the contrary, a three-component water proton system (bound, bulk and free water) was observed in both germinating and non-viable soybeans during Phase I of hydration. The bulk water component of non-viable seeds disappeared completely during the lag phase (Phase II) of hydration, resulting in a two-component water proton system. In contrast, the three-component water proton system in Phase II was observed in the germinating seeds. Rapid hydration (Phase III), following Phase II, was observed in germinating soybean seeds only. Due to reorganization of water protons, there was a concomitant increase in bulk and free water, but a decrease in bound water. The physical state of water in these seeds (analysed by NMR spectroscopy) and the measurements of tissue leachate conductivity suggest that non-viable soybean seeds were more affected by the disorganized cell structure in the seed membrane system. The present study also provides evidence that physical reorganization of water is essential in germinating soybean seeds during hydration.

Guiera senegalensis tolerates repeated cutting and pruning to which it is increasingly subjected at the onset of each cropping period, and one to three times during the annual cropping period (June–September). It responds by profusely branching at the shrub base. The topographic and geomorphic influences, and the effect of clearing on the relationships between shrub density, mean individual above-ground biomass and leaf water status were analysed for seven fallow sites. They were sampled 75 km east of Niamey in Niger. Surprisingly, shrub density and mean individual above-ground biomass were highest in the sites that had been recently in fallow and intensively cultivated prior to crop abandonment. Stand above-ground biomass was also positively related to mean predawn and daily minimum leaf water potentials. Consequently, in the studied G. senegalensis stands, above-ground biomass appeared to be controlled by water availability – rainfall, runoff, infiltration – rather than by cropping intensity. Anisohydric stomatal regulation, resulting in large safety margins from critical transpiration, was inferred from the diurnal amplitude of leaf water potential during the dry season. The plant physiological resistance to water stress combined with its population adjustment in density and growth contributes to the sustainable dominance of G. senegalensis.