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Relationship between hydraulic conductance and citrus dwarfing by the Flying Dragon rootstock (Poncirus trifoliata L. Raft var. monstruosa)

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Abstract

This work studied the hydraulic characteristics and physiological behavior of two trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata L. Raft) varieties—Flying Dragon (FD) and Rubidoux (RT)—with contrasting size-controlling potential when used as rootstocks for citrus trees. Thus, Valencia orange scions growing on RT root system develop about 40 % more biomass than scions on FD. The anatomical study of xylem root tissue of both rootstocks showed that the number of vessels per cross-sectional area in RT almost doubled that found in FD, whereas diameter distribution did not vary significantly. Hydraulic resistance determined in rootstocks, and bud union segments were, respectively, 2- and 3.4-fold higher in trees on FD than in trees on RT. Root systems accounted for 46.5 and 55.2 % of whole-plant hydraulic resistance, whereas bud union segments represented 7.5 and 14.6 % of this parameter, the dwarfing rootstock (FD) having the highest values. Reduced hydraulic conductance in plants on FD rootstock diminished water potential in high evaporative demand periods, causing a reduction in stomatal conductance with respect to plants on RT. This leads to lower net photosynthetic CO2 assimilation, which may affect biomass production. Translocation of 13C-labeled photoassimilates from leaves to roots was lower in plants on FD than in plants on RT, indicating that in the dwarfing rootstock (FD) there may be a vascular resistance to sucrose transport at the budding union level. Findings show that reduced hydraulic conductance may be the main cause of rootstock-induced dwarfing in citrus grafted onto FD.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (RTA2011-00127), Generalitat Valenciana, and FEDER funds.

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  1. Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias, Ctra. Moncada-Náquera km. 4.5, 46113, Valencia, Spain

    B. Martínez-Alcántara, J. Rodriguez-Gamir, M. R. Martínez-Cuenca, D. J. Iglesias, E. Primo-Millo & M. A. Forner-Giner

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  1. B. Martínez-Alcántara
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  2. J. Rodriguez-Gamir
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  3. M. R. Martínez-Cuenca
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  4. D. J. Iglesias
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  5. E. Primo-Millo
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  6. M. A. Forner-Giner
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Correspondence to B. Martínez-Alcántara.

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Communicated by T. Koike.

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Martínez-Alcántara, B., Rodriguez-Gamir, J., Martínez-Cuenca, M.R. et al. Relationship between hydraulic conductance and citrus dwarfing by the Flying Dragon rootstock (Poncirus trifoliata L. Raft var. monstruosa). Trees 27, 629–638 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-012-0817-1

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