Abstract
This study was conducted at the Station Expérimentale Fruits et Légumes in the South-East Mediterranean region of France and aimed to explore the effects of water-deficit stress on fruit production, water status, and growth responses. It was carried out on a 9-year-old top worked apple cv. “JoyaTM” on Pajam‑1 rootstock. Water stress (at 50%) applied after vegetative growth was completed, from the beginning of July to the end of the irrigation season decreased size but increased soluble solids content in fruit. Water-stressed trees showed relatively high water use efficiency without causing a significant effect on yield. Indeed, the water amount used for one fruit was 11.4 l (median) in water-stressed trees and 15.9 l (median) in well-watered trees, although tree volume and leaf area were similar between the two water regimes. A within-tree network of dendrometers was installed in four locations (bottom of a branch and end of the same branch, fruit, and trunk). The branch and trunk’s maximum and minimum diameter growth were observed in the morning and noon, respectively, over the diurnal period, whatever the water regime. The maximal diameter growth of fruit in both water regimes was during the afternoon on a diurnal basis, unlike vegetative tree portions.
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Acknowledgements
This work has been funded in part by the ARIMNET (Coordination of the Agricultural Research in the Mediterranean Area) research program APMed (Apple and Peach in Mediterranean orchards—Integrating tree water status and irrigation management for coping with water scarcity and aphid control), and TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey). The authors would like to thank Dr. Hatice Sahinoglu (University of Maryland College Park, USA) for writing scripts in Stata software.
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EA, XC, DL and PEL conceived the experiments. XC and PEL made available the types of equipment. EA and DL carried out the field measurements. EA wrote the first draft of the manuscript. XC and PEL contributed to the data interpretation.
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E. Atay, X. Crété, D. Loubet, and P.-E. Lauri declare that they have no competing interests.
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Atay, E., Crété, X., Loubet, D. et al. Diurnal and Seasonal Growth Responses of Apple Trees to Water-Deficit Stress. Erwerbs-Obstbau 65, 1–6 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10341-022-00689-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10341-022-00689-4