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Temperature and Photoperiod Influence Postharvest Needle Abscission of Selected Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea L. (Mill.)) Genotypes by Modulating ABA Levels

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Abstract

Seasonal changes in the concentration of abscisic acid (ABA) in current-year needles of two different genotypes (AB-NSD-004 and AB-NSD-184) were monitored in branches collected from 20-year-old balsam fir (Abies balsamea L. (Mill.)) trees over a period of 11 months. A significant genotype × harvesting time interaction was observed for endogenous ABA levels and postharvest needle retention duration (NRD). A consistent pattern of seasonal variation in ABA concentration was observed in both genotypes, with the highest amount of ABA (7,887 ng g−1 DW) accumulating in April and May. The highest levels of ABA coincided with the lowest postharvest NRD regardless of genotype. Nevertheless, genotypes differed in their ABA concentrations. Branches of genotype AB-NSD-184 sampled during August exhibited 170 days of NRD whereas those collected in May and June registered the lowest NRD of around 40 days. There was a significant negative correlation (P < 0.05) between endogenous ABA concentrations and postharvest NRD in genotype AB-NSD-184. Also, an inverse relationship was observed between the average daily photoperiod and the postharvest NRD (R 2 = 0.35; P = 0.000) in the same genotype. Together with average daily temperature, the R 2 value for this correlation reached the highest (0.75; P ≤ 0.00). Genotypes differed in their physiological responses to environmental cues and thus differed in their postharvest qualities. Average daily photoperiod and maximum daily temperature are strongly linked to the postharvest NRD through modulating endogenous ABA concentration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Christmas Tree Research Center, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS, B2N 5E3, Canada

    Arumugam Thiagarajan & Rajasekaran Lada

  2. Centre de recherche en horticulture, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Arumugam Thiagarajan, Steeve Pepin, Yves Desjardins & Martine Dorais

  3. Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre, Agriculture and AgriFood Canada, Kentville, NS, B4N 1J5, Canada

    Charles Forney

Authors
  1. Arumugam Thiagarajan
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  2. Rajasekaran Lada
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  3. Steeve Pepin
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  4. Charles Forney
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  5. Yves Desjardins
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  6. Martine Dorais
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Correspondence to Rajasekaran Lada.

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Thiagarajan, A., Lada, R., Pepin, S. et al. Temperature and Photoperiod Influence Postharvest Needle Abscission of Selected Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea L. (Mill.)) Genotypes by Modulating ABA Levels. J Plant Growth Regul 32, 843–851 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-013-9349-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-013-9349-1

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