Communication Modeling of Long-Distance Abscisic Acid Signaling in Plant Vascular Systems

Abstract

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a central plant hormone for coordinating responses to drought, salinity, cold stress, pathogen attack, wounding, and developmental aging. This paper reviews the biological stimuli that increase ABA biosynthesis, the main production sites and pathways, and the long-distance movement of ABA through plant vascular tissues. It then discusses experimental quantification approaches, including gas-liquid chromatography with electron-capture detection and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Finally, the paper presents a molecular-communication-inspired model of ABA transport in which root-side ABA release is represented as a transmitter, the xylem pathway as a bounded channel, and soybean tissue as a receiver. MATLAB Brownian-motion simulations are used to evaluate the effects of released molecule quantity and receiver radius on the detected ABA signal. The results show that higher release quantities produce smoother and stronger reception trends, while larger receivers increase molecule-capture probability.