Does green stem photosynthesis affect plant drought tolerance and recovery in avocado?
Woody plants with green stems may have advantages over non-green-stemmed plants in that extra photosynthetic carbon gain has the potential to improve plant drought tolerance and aid drought recovery. However, most studies relating to green stem photosynthesis and drought tolerance have been conducte...
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| Format: | info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo |
| Language: | Inglés |
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Oxford University Press
2026
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24842 https://academic.oup.com/aobpla/article/17/5/plaf044/8240309 https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plaf044 |
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| author | Valverdi, Nadia Antonella Guzmán-Delgado, Paula Goldsmith, Gregory R. Ávila‐Lovera, Eleinis |
| author_browse | Goldsmith, Gregory R. Guzmán-Delgado, Paula Valverdi, Nadia Antonella Ávila‐Lovera, Eleinis |
| author_facet | Valverdi, Nadia Antonella Guzmán-Delgado, Paula Goldsmith, Gregory R. Ávila‐Lovera, Eleinis |
| author_sort | Valverdi, Nadia Antonella |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | Woody plants with green stems may have advantages over non-green-stemmed plants in that extra photosynthetic carbon gain has the potential to improve plant drought tolerance and aid drought recovery. However, most studies relating to green stem photosynthesis and drought tolerance have been conducted on non-horticultural plants under natural growing conditions. We investigated whether avocado green stem photosynthesis enhances drought tolerance and recovery. We applied light exclusion and drought treatments to 3-year-old potted trees of cultivars ‘Hass’ and ‘Fuerte’. Measurements of soil moisture, midday stem water potential, stem photosynthesis, bark chlorophyll concentration, concentration of sugars + starch and stem hydraulic conductivity were conducted before, during, and 3 weeks after rewatering. Green stems of avocado re-assimilate CO2, but values did not significantly differ between cultivars. We also found that light exclusion reduced stem photosynthesis by 65% in ‘Fuerte’ and 30% in ‘Hass’ although bark chlorophyll concentration was unchanged. Drought reduced stem photosynthesis by 60%. Following drought recovery, there were neither treatment nor cultivar effects on stem photosynthesis. We also observed no effect of light treatment on hydraulic conductivity, such that there is no clear effect of stem photosynthesis on drought tolerance of these avocado trees. However, we observed an increase in hydraulic conductivity during the drought period with an increase in the concentration of sugars in the sapwood and a decrease in the concentration of starch, suggesting osmotic adjustment. Nonetheless, the contribution of carbon gain through stem photosynthesis may not play a significant role in hydraulic functioning of avocado under these conditions. |
| format | info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo |
| id | INTA24842 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| publisherStr | Oxford University Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA248422026-01-02T12:57:55Z Does green stem photosynthesis affect plant drought tolerance and recovery in avocado? Valverdi, Nadia Antonella Guzmán-Delgado, Paula Goldsmith, Gregory R. Ávila‐Lovera, Eleinis Persea americana Aguacate Fotosíntesis Tallos Tolerancia a la Sequia Relaciones Planta Agua Avocados Photosynthesis Stems Drought Tolerance Plant Water Relations Palta Woody plants with green stems may have advantages over non-green-stemmed plants in that extra photosynthetic carbon gain has the potential to improve plant drought tolerance and aid drought recovery. However, most studies relating to green stem photosynthesis and drought tolerance have been conducted on non-horticultural plants under natural growing conditions. We investigated whether avocado green stem photosynthesis enhances drought tolerance and recovery. We applied light exclusion and drought treatments to 3-year-old potted trees of cultivars ‘Hass’ and ‘Fuerte’. Measurements of soil moisture, midday stem water potential, stem photosynthesis, bark chlorophyll concentration, concentration of sugars + starch and stem hydraulic conductivity were conducted before, during, and 3 weeks after rewatering. Green stems of avocado re-assimilate CO2, but values did not significantly differ between cultivars. We also found that light exclusion reduced stem photosynthesis by 65% in ‘Fuerte’ and 30% in ‘Hass’ although bark chlorophyll concentration was unchanged. Drought reduced stem photosynthesis by 60%. Following drought recovery, there were neither treatment nor cultivar effects on stem photosynthesis. We also observed no effect of light treatment on hydraulic conductivity, such that there is no clear effect of stem photosynthesis on drought tolerance of these avocado trees. However, we observed an increase in hydraulic conductivity during the drought period with an increase in the concentration of sugars in the sapwood and a decrease in the concentration of starch, suggesting osmotic adjustment. Nonetheless, the contribution of carbon gain through stem photosynthesis may not play a significant role in hydraulic functioning of avocado under these conditions. EEA Catamarca Fil: Valverdi, Nadia Antonella. Chapman University. Schmid College of Science and Technology; Estados Unidos Fil: Valverdi, Nadia Antonella. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Catamarca; Argentina Fil: Guzmán-Delgado, Paula. University of California Davis. Department of Plant Sciences; Estados Unidos Fil: Goldsmith, Gregory R. Chapman University. Schmid College of Science and Technology; Estados Unidos Fil: Ávila‐Lovera, Eleinis. Chapman University. Schmid College of Science and Technology; Estados Unidos Fil: Ávila‐Lovera, Eleinis. University of Utah. School of Biological Sciences; Estados Unidos 2026-01-02T12:51:51Z 2026-01-02T12:51:51Z 2025-10 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24842 https://academic.oup.com/aobpla/article/17/5/plaf044/8240309 2041-2851 https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plaf044 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Oxford University Press AoB PLANTS 17 (5) : plaf044. (October 2025) |
| spellingShingle | Persea americana Aguacate Fotosíntesis Tallos Tolerancia a la Sequia Relaciones Planta Agua Avocados Photosynthesis Stems Drought Tolerance Plant Water Relations Palta Valverdi, Nadia Antonella Guzmán-Delgado, Paula Goldsmith, Gregory R. Ávila‐Lovera, Eleinis Does green stem photosynthesis affect plant drought tolerance and recovery in avocado? |
| title | Does green stem photosynthesis affect plant drought tolerance and recovery in avocado? |
| title_full | Does green stem photosynthesis affect plant drought tolerance and recovery in avocado? |
| title_fullStr | Does green stem photosynthesis affect plant drought tolerance and recovery in avocado? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does green stem photosynthesis affect plant drought tolerance and recovery in avocado? |
| title_short | Does green stem photosynthesis affect plant drought tolerance and recovery in avocado? |
| title_sort | does green stem photosynthesis affect plant drought tolerance and recovery in avocado |
| topic | Persea americana Aguacate Fotosíntesis Tallos Tolerancia a la Sequia Relaciones Planta Agua Avocados Photosynthesis Stems Drought Tolerance Plant Water Relations Palta |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24842 https://academic.oup.com/aobpla/article/17/5/plaf044/8240309 https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plaf044 |
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