Abstract
Responses to deficit irrigation (DI) throughout the fruit-growing season were studied in ‘Conference’ pear grafted onto quince M-A rootstock and grown in large containers. The treatments were (1) full irrigation (FI), (2) DI during Stage I of fruit growth (DI-Stage I), and (3) DI during Stage II of fruit growth (DI-Stage II). Four whole trees were sampled before Stage I and from all treatments at the end of Stage I, end of Stage II (fruit harvest), and before leaf fall. There was less discrimination against 13CO2 in DI leaves, indicative of reduced photosynthetic capacity. DI treated trees had lower starch content in branches and trunks but root starch concentration was the same between DI- and FI-treated trees. Compared to FI-treated trees, leaf, shoot, branch, and trunk dry biomass was reduced by 34, 50, 37, and 32 %, respectively, in DI-Stage I and by 45, 73, 37, and 22 % in DI-Stage II. Root growth was not affected by DI. Trees had limited capacity for storing starch in roots. Recovery of the aboveground starch concentration for DI treatments occurred within 1 month after rewatering but total starch content never recovered.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) project CONSOLIDER-INGENIO CSD2006-00067. We thank Merce Mata, Jesús del Campo, Carles Paris, Núria Bonastre, Jordi Olive, Núria Civit, Gerard Piñol, and Joan Ventura for their help in the field.
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Lopez, G., Behboudian, M.H., Girona, J. et al. Responses of ‘Conference’ Pear to Deficit Irrigation: Water Relations, Leaf Discrimination Against 13CO2, Tree Starch Content, Growth, and Recovery After Rewatering. J Plant Growth Regul 32, 273–280 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-012-9295-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-012-9295-3