Growth Responses to Wind Differ among Papaya Roots, Leaves, and Stems

Abstract

‘Sunrise’ and ‘Tainung 2’ papaya seedlings were subjected to 3 weeks of ambient winds in Guam during five experiments, and growth responses of roots, leaves, and stems were quantified to compare speed and extent of the plasticity among the organs. The cultivars responded similarly with 1 week eliciting stem growth responses and 2 weeks eliciting root responses. The timeframe of these studies was sufficient to enable adaptive responses in all three organs. Wind reduced stem and leaf expansion rate but not root extension rate, providing one example of how the form of response differed among the organs. A dose–effect was evident among the experiments with magnitude of response increasing with mean ambient wind speed. Asymmetric stem diameter and root tip density were examples of adaptive responses to directional wind load. These data on young papaya plants may be used to inform field experiments aiming to determine how chronic winds influence long-term growth and fitness.