Abstract
Gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence are widely used in physiological and ecological studies; however, few studies have used these techniques with ornamental plants. This study tested the potential contribution of gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence to evaluate the water and nutrients uptake by the tank and root system of epiphyte bromeliad Guzmania lingulata. For this purpose, we conducted an experiment with different water regime and another with different concentrations of nitrogen. The experiments were: 1 - Watering: Control (application of water into Tank and Root), Tank (watering into Tank), Root (watering Root) and Drought (water suspension during the 90 days of experimentation) and 2 - Nitrogen: Plants fertilized with Hoagland and Arnon nutrient solution exclusively into Tank or Root with nitrogen concentrations of control and 2.62 or 5.34 mM N applied as urea. The Fv /Fm ratio allowed comparing the treatments between experiments, demonstrating that Root and Tank both have the capacity to maintain G. lingulata photosynthetic activity and growth, while Drought treatment (water suspension) was the limiting factor for energy conversion efficiency of PSII. However, gas exchange was more permissive as a parameter for comparing treatments in the nitrogen experiment, providing important information about the general aspects of the photosynthetic process in the watering experiment. Both gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence can support the evaluation of G. lingulata physiological status and can be useful tools in ornamental horticultural studies.
Highlights
Bromeliads are widely used in landscaping and interior decoration owing to the variety of shapes and colors of flowers, inflorescences and leaves and high durability of flowers
This study aimed to evaluate CO2 exchange and fluorescence of chlorophyll a as useful tools to analyze the physiological status of the epiphytic bromeliad Guzmana lingulata (L.) Mez, submitted to different regimes of irrigation and nitrogen nutrition
The results of the two experiments the nutrition experiment (Figure 2), mainly when no N was suggested that microclimatic factors in the greenhouse added, with statistical differences between N concentrations interfered with the energy conversion efficiency of PSII
Summary
Bromeliads are widely used in landscaping and interior decoration owing to the variety of shapes and colors of flowers, inflorescences and leaves and high durability of flowers. Many Bromeliaceae species present a reservoir formation known as the tank. This structure is formed by the overlay of leaves, allowing water and organic matter to accumulate. The roots of bromeliads display reduced function, acting only as an anchorage organ. These strategies are associated with plants that adapt to epiphytic habitats (CACH-PÉREZ et al, 2014). 400-406 this functional division between tank and roots has been questioned (PITA and MENEZES, 2002; SEGECIN and SCATENA, 2004; PROENÇA and SAJO, 2008), and the unknown uptake potential of the vegetative organs affects the management of water and nutrients in the context of bromeliad cultivation V. 23, No 4, 2017, p. 400-406 this functional division between tank and roots has been questioned (PITA and MENEZES, 2002; SEGECIN and SCATENA, 2004; PROENÇA and SAJO, 2008), and the unknown uptake potential of the vegetative organs affects the management of water and nutrients in the context of bromeliad cultivation
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