Abstract
Black locust (Robinia pseudoacaciaL.) is a drought-tolerant fast growing tree, which could be an alternative to the more common tree species used in short-rotation coppice on marginal land. The plasticity of black locust in the form of ecophysiological and morphological adaptations to drought is an important precondition for its successful growth in such areas. However, adaptation to drought stress is detrimental to primary production. Furthermore, the soil water availability condition of the initial stage of development may have an impact on the tree resilience. We aimed to investigate the effect of drought stress applied during the resprouting on the drought tolerance of the plant, by examining the black locust growth patterns. We exposed young trees in lysimeters to different cycles of drought. The drought memory affected the plant growth performance and its drought tolerance: the plants resprouting under drought conditions were more drought tolerant than the well-watered ones. Black locust tolerates drastic soil water availability variations without altering its water use efficiency (2.57 g L−1), evaluated under drought stress. Due to its constant water use efficiency and the high phenotypic plasticity, black locust could become an important species to be cultivated on marginal land.
Highlights
Summer drought, as observed during extreme events in Central Europe in 2003 [1], is one of the major abiotic stress factors that limit plant growth and have drastic effects on the ecosystem productivity
We aimed to investigate the effect of drought stress applied during the resprouting on the drought tolerance of the plant, by examining the black locust growth patterns
The experiment emphasized the importance of the combination of preconditions and drought cycles on the drought tolerance of Robinia pseudoacacia L
Summary
As observed during extreme events in Central Europe in 2003 [1], is one of the major abiotic stress factors that limit plant growth and have drastic effects on the ecosystem productivity. It is important to assess the plasticity of the species to drought stress by understanding the plant response in terms of water consumption, growth performance, and production [5]. This is important for short-rotation coppice (SRC) systems, where the primary production is driven mainly by the SWA [6, 7]. We defined the physiological conditions in terms of plant water status at which the growth performance is compromised and analyzed the influence of drought applied during the resprouting phase on the hydraulic architecture of the tree, evaluating the relation between root system and the total transpiring surface. The information gathered enlightened the importance of black locust as an appropriate tree for marginal land and the strong implication that the SWA during the resprouting phase has on the later drought tolerance and productivity of the species
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