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Physiological performance and biomass production of two ornamental shrub species under deficit irrigation

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This study shows that deficit irrigation can be encouraged in productive activities like plant nursing, especially with the most resistant species.

Abstract

Drought acclimation is attained by avoidance mechanisms in the short term and by adaptation changes in the long term. In this study, we applied deficit irrigation at nursery stage to elicit species-specific physiological responses and biomass production in two ornamental shrub species, comparing two settings: open air (OA) and greenhouse (GH). Viburnum opulus L. and Photinia x fraseri ‘Red robin’ were compared under three irrigation levels: severe water deficit (SWD), moderate water deficit (MWD) and control (C). In both experiments, SWD induced lower values of water potentials in both species whereas MWD had similar effects to C. In OA, SWD reduced earlier stomatal conductance in V. opulus and photosynthesis rate in P. x fraseri and in GH V. opulus showed a reduction of gas exchange even in MWD. P. x fraseri showed greater stomatal control capacity. In contrast, treatments did not affect PSII efficiency even if P. x fraseri proved a greater capacity to differentiate the I–P phase of the fluorescence transient in SWD conditions. In both experiments, SWD and MWD affected leaf area by lowering the number of leaves in P. x fraseri and reducing leaf surface in V. opulus. Moreover, V. opulus showed early leaf senescence and premature fall. Deficit irrigation had effects also on leaf characteristics: smaller leaf area unit in V. opulus, reduced biomass and leaf mass per area and succulence in both species, increase of spongy tissue thickness. Eventually, we can state that P. x fraseri can withstand 30 % evapotranspiration, while maintaining functionality.

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Author contribution statement

Francesca Ugolini planned the experiments, carried out the field measurements and data analysis and is the first author of the manuscript. Filippo Bussotti and Antonio Raschi were supervisors of the whole project. Anthony Roland Ennos and Roberto Tognetti allowed the performance of some analysis performed during the study (e.g., hydraulic conductivity) and made a cross-revision of the manuscript.

Acknowledgments

We thank Giorgio Maresi, from Fondazione Edmund Mach, Mario Lanini, from the Institute of Biometeorology, Nicola and Paolo Marzialetti from the Centre for Experimental Nursing, for their support and knowledge transfer in the sector of plant nursing.

Conflict of interest

Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest and no funding has been received to perform this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biometeorology, National Research Council, via Giovanni Caproni 8, 50145, Florence, Italy

    Francesca Ugolini & Antonio Raschi

  2. Department of Agri-Food Production and Environmental Science, University of Florence, P.le Cascine 28, 51044, Florence, Italy

    Filippo Bussotti

  3. Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090, Pesche, IS, Italy

    Roberto Tognetti

  4. The EFI Project Centre on Mountain Forests (MOUNTFOR), Edmund Mach Foundation, San Michele all’Adige, Italy

    Roberto Tognetti

  5. Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK

    Anthony Roland Ennos

Authors
  1. Francesca Ugolini
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  2. Filippo Bussotti
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  3. Antonio Raschi
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  4. Roberto Tognetti
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  5. Anthony Roland Ennos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francesca Ugolini.

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Communicated by K. Masaka.

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Ugolini, F., Bussotti, F., Raschi, A. et al. Physiological performance and biomass production of two ornamental shrub species under deficit irrigation. Trees 29, 407–422 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-014-1120-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-014-1120-0

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