Abstract
Changes in climate are provoking flooding events that cause waterlogging in the fields. Citrus are mainly cultivated in areas with a high susceptibility to climate change. Therefore, it is vital to explore their responses to these events to anticipate future challenges by means of genetic improvement of the commercial rootstocks. In this experiment, three popular commercial rootstocks, namely ‘Cleopatra’ (C. reshni Hort. Ex Tanaka), C. macrophylla, and ‘Forner Alcaide no. 5′ (Citrus reshni Hort. Ex Tanaka × Poncirus trifoliata), were evaluated after being submitted to short-term waterlogging and a period of recovery of 7 days in each case. Photosynthesis rate and stomatal conductance decreased in ‘Cleopatra’, while in the other two genotypes they were maintained (C. macrophylla) or restored after recovery (‘Forner Alcaide no. 5′’). Relative water content and chlorophylls also decreased in ‘Cleopatra’. This indicates a deeper effect of flooding in ‘Cleopatra’, which suffered changes during flooding that were also sustained during the recovery phase. This did not occur in the other two rootstocks, since they showed signs of recovery for those parameters that decreased during waterlogging.
Highlights
The climate is changing, and this is causing an increase in temperatures and alterations in water cycles, as reflected by the increasing severity of droughts and by aberrant heavy precipitations that can lead to waterlogging and flooding [1]
Flooding generates hypoxia, which triggers a wide range of metabolic, hormonal, developmental, and physiological processes in plants
At the level of waterlogging used in this experiment, ‘Cleopatra’ was clearly the most affected genotype, showing changes in relative water content, stomatal conductance and, above all, photosynthesis
Summary
The climate is changing, and this is causing an increase in temperatures and alterations in water cycles, as reflected by the increasing severity of droughts and by aberrant heavy precipitations that can lead to waterlogging and flooding [1]. This is of particular importance in areas already prone to flooding, such as the Mediterranean basin, where flooding events are increasing. Photosynthetic activity decreases mainly due to stomatal closure, a decline in the activity of the Rubisco enzyme, and the destruction of chlorophyll [4] This leads to the occurrence of desiccation symptoms and a delay in growth. Such information is especially important when it comes to plant citrus breeding, since an accurate evaluation of the physiological features of the germplasm available for breeding will provide breeders
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