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Foliar application of Sili-K® increases chestnut (Castanea spp.) growth and photosynthesis, simultaneously increasing susceptibility to water deficit

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Abstract

Background and aims

The beneficial effects of Si have mainly been observed in herbaceous plants, while little is known about its role in deciduous trees. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of foliar application of Si on chestnut leaf growth, photosynthesis and water relations in the presence of short, but intense water deficit.

Methods

Sili-K® solution (containing 0.12 % Si and 0.15 % K) was repeatedly (× 3) sprayed onto leaves of potted chestnut plantlets and irrigation was suspended 7 weeks later, for 8 days. Leaf growth, anatomy, as well as physiological and biochemical traits of the plantlets were studied.

Results

Si application enhanced chestnut growth, due to increased photosynthetic traits, including higher chlorophyll content and chlorophyll a to b ratio, photochemical efficiency of PSII, gas exchange (stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, net CO2 assimilation) and oxygen evolution rate. Meanwhile, Si yielded larger and thinner leaves, higher xylem, specific leaf area and transpiration rate, thus being beneficial to the tree in absorbing sunlight energy for photosynthesis and in alleviating heat stress. However, Si also lowered leaf sap osmotic pressure, causing the plant to lose water more quickly, thus being more susceptible to water stress.

Conclusions

Si improved chestnut photosynthesis, growth, and heat stress tolerance, but it also increased the susceptibility to drought.

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Abbreviations

Si:

Silicon

IS:

Irrigation suspension

RWC:

Relative water content

WCS:

Water content at saturation

WSD:

Water saturation deficit

WUE:

Water use efficiency

Ψw :

Water potential

S :

Succulence index

SLA:

Specific leaf area

D :

Density of the leaf tissue

gs :

Stomatal conductance

E :

Transpiration rate

Pn :

Net CO2 assimilation rate

Chl a+b:

Total chlorophyll

Chl a/b:

Chl a to Chl b ratio

Car:

Total carotenoids

Chl/Car:

Chlorophylls to carotenoids ratio

PSII:

Photosystem II

Fo :

Minimum fluorescence yield in a dark-adapted state

Fm :

Maximum fluorescence yield in a dark-adapted state

Fv :

Variable fluorescence yield in a dark-adapted state

Fv/Fm :

Ratio of variable to maximal fluorescence (maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII) of dark-adapted leaves

OER:

Oxygen evolution rate

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by CITAB, UTAD, Portugal. CH Zhang is a researcher of the National Scientific and Technological Innovation Program “Ciência 2008” supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) of Portugal. We sincerely thank the responsible editor Prof JF Ma and the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments to improve the quality of previous manuscript. We appreciate the assistance of Mr. Stephen Metcalfe for his help in improving the English of the manuscript. The authors are grateful to Mrs. Natália Teixeira for her contribution in some experimental work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB)/Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering (DeBA), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Apt. 1013, 5001-801, Vila Real, Portugal

    Changhe Zhang, José M. Moutinho-Pereira, Carlos Correia, António Gonçalves, Américo Guedes & José Gomes-Laranjo

  2. Centre of Chemistry (CQ)/Department of Soil Science, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Apt. 1013, 5001-801, Vila Real, Portugal

    João Coutinho

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  1. Changhe Zhang
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  2. José M. Moutinho-Pereira
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  3. Carlos Correia
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  4. João Coutinho
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  5. António Gonçalves
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  7. José Gomes-Laranjo
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Correspondence to Changhe Zhang or José Gomes-Laranjo.

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Responsible Editor: Jian Feng Ma.

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Zhang, C., Moutinho-Pereira, J.M., Correia, C. et al. Foliar application of Sili-K® increases chestnut (Castanea spp.) growth and photosynthesis, simultaneously increasing susceptibility to water deficit. Plant Soil 365, 211–225 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1385-2

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