Tag: Plant Health
Water Relations and Physiological Response to Water Deficit of ‘Hass’ Avocado Grafted on Two Rootstocks Tolerant to R. necatrix
Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) cultivation has spread to many countries from the tropics to the Mediterranean region, where avocado crops commonly face water shortages and diseases, such as white root rot (WRR) caused by Rosellinia necatrix. The use of drought- and WRR-tolerant rootstocks represents a potential solution to these constraints. In this research, water relations and the morpho-physiological response of avocado ‘Hass’ grafted on two selections of R. necatrix-tolerant rootstocks
Functional leaf-trait variability and herbivory in oaks along a Mexican avocado agrosystem mosaic
Land-use changes transforming forested landscapes to avocado orchards affect abiotic conditions and ecological processes. As a consequence, such changes can also affect leaf functional traits expression of co-occurring trees in orchards and related plant–insect interactions. Here, we evaluated changes in chemical soil properties and the effects of micro-climatic variables on leaf functional traits and herbivory in Quercus castanea and Q. obtusata in fragments occurring in a mosaic with avocado orchards.
Evaluation of leaf carbon isotopes and functional traits in avocado reveals water-use efficient cultivars
Plant water-use efficiency (WUE) describes the ratio of carbon gain to water loss during photosynthesis. It has been shown that WUE varies among crop genotypes, and crops with high WUE can increase agricultural production in the face of finite water supply. We used measures of leaf carbon isotopic composition to compare WUE among 24 cultivars of Persea americana Mill (avocado) to determine genotypic variability in WUE, identify potentially efficient cultivars, and to better understand how breeding
Evaluation of aerial and root plant growth behavior, water and nutrient use efficiency and carbohydrate dynamics for Hass avocado grown in a soilless and protected growing system
Avocado production is nowadays questioned worldwide and at risk due to climate change and the high water footprint of this crop. Thus, there is need for the development or adoption of new strategies such as alternative production systems. In this study, Hass avocado plants grafted on two rootstocks (Mexicola -seed propagated and Dusa® - vegetative-propagated and referred as clonal) were grown in a greenhouse and substrate (coir growth container, 55 L of volume and 500 × 480 mm, H X W) culture
Soil air content effects on the water status of avocado trees
Avocado trees evolved in Andisoils, which are considered the optimum type of soils for tree growth due to their physical properties; mainly low bulk density (0.5 - 0.8 g cm(-3)) and high macro porosity (similar to 46%). In Chile, avocado orchards are mostly located in fine textured soils, with bulk densities between 1.3 and 1.5 g cm(-3) and macro porosities close to 15%. Due to this fact, there are severe problems of poor root aeration which, in part, are responsible for the low production levels
Growth, photosynthetic performance and antioxidative response of ‘Hass’ and ‘Fuerte’ avocado (Persea americana Mill.) plants grown under high soil moisture
‘Hass’ and ‘Fuerte’ avocado plants were grown under well-watered or waterlogged conditions. Results indicated significant effects on the majority of the allometric parameters in waterlogged plants, with ‘Fuerte’ displaying a more pronounced growth inhibition. Waterlogged conditions caused a progressive and simultaneous decline in net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance, earlier in ‘Fuerte’ than in ‘Hass’. Maximal potential quantum yield of PSII was unaffected by the soil