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Volume 14
Issue 23
10.3390/plants14233611
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Physiological, Productive, and Soil Rhizospheric Microbiota Responses of ‘Santina’ Cherry Trees to Regulated Deficit Irrigation Applied After Harvest

by
Tamara Alvear
1,
Macarena Gerding
1,
Richard M. Bastías
1,
Carolina Contreras
2,
Silvia Antileo-Mellado
1,
Andrés Olivos
3,
Mauricio Calderón-Orellana
3 and
Arturo Calderón-Orellana
1,*
1
Departamento de Producción Vegetal, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Concepción, Chillán 3780000, Chile
2
Instituto de Producción y Sanidad Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Alimentarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5091000, Chile
3
OLIVOS Riego SpA, Curicó 3340000, Chile
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2025, 14(23), 3611; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233611
Submission received: 27 October 2025 / Revised: 15 November 2025 / Accepted: 18 November 2025 / Published: 26 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Abiotic Stress: Mechanisms, Tolerance and Sustainable Management)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Chile, the leading exporter of cherries (Prunus avium L.) in the southern hemisphere, faces sustained variations in precipitation patterns and high evaporative demand in its productive areas. The low availability of water during the period of highest environmental demand makes it essential to reduce or suspend irrigation applications. In this scenario, regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) after harvest is an efficient strategy for optimizing water use without compromising orchard yields. This study was conducted over three consecutive seasons in a traditional commercial orchard of ‘Santina’ cherry trees grafted onto Colt rootstock, evaluating the effect of two levels of RDI, moderate (MDI) and severe (SDI), on productive and ecophysiological parameters. Both treatments resulted in water savings of between 10% and 28%, without negatively affecting yield or fruit quality. The SDI treatment, despite reaching higher levels of cumulative water stress, improved intrinsic water use efficiency while maintaining stable photosynthetic efficiency. In addition, an increase in the abundance of fine roots and beneficial rhizosphere bacteria populations, such as Azospirillum and Bacillus, was observed, suggesting the activation of water resilience mechanisms mediated by plant–microbiota interaction, possibly associated with stress-induced ecological memory and microbial legacy effects. These results position after-harvest RDI as a sustainable tool for coping with climate variability and water scarcity in commercial cherry orchards.
Keywords: Prunus avium; postharvest; stem water potential; water stress; plant growth-promoting bacteria; water use efficiency; ecological memory; drought resilience Prunus avium; postharvest; stem water potential; water stress; plant growth-promoting bacteria; water use efficiency; ecological memory; drought resilience

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MDPI and ACS Style

Alvear, T.; Gerding, M.; Bastías, R.M.; Contreras, C.; Antileo-Mellado, S.; Olivos, A.; Calderón-Orellana, M.; Calderón-Orellana, A. Physiological, Productive, and Soil Rhizospheric Microbiota Responses of ‘Santina’ Cherry Trees to Regulated Deficit Irrigation Applied After Harvest. Plants 2025, 14, 3611. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233611

AMA Style

Alvear T, Gerding M, Bastías RM, Contreras C, Antileo-Mellado S, Olivos A, Calderón-Orellana M, Calderón-Orellana A. Physiological, Productive, and Soil Rhizospheric Microbiota Responses of ‘Santina’ Cherry Trees to Regulated Deficit Irrigation Applied After Harvest. Plants. 2025; 14(23):3611. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233611

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alvear, Tamara, Macarena Gerding, Richard M. Bastías, Carolina Contreras, Silvia Antileo-Mellado, Andrés Olivos, Mauricio Calderón-Orellana, and Arturo Calderón-Orellana. 2025. "Physiological, Productive, and Soil Rhizospheric Microbiota Responses of ‘Santina’ Cherry Trees to Regulated Deficit Irrigation Applied After Harvest" Plants 14, no. 23: 3611. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233611

APA Style

Alvear, T., Gerding, M., Bastías, R. M., Contreras, C., Antileo-Mellado, S., Olivos, A., Calderón-Orellana, M., & Calderón-Orellana, A. (2025). Physiological, Productive, and Soil Rhizospheric Microbiota Responses of ‘Santina’ Cherry Trees to Regulated Deficit Irrigation Applied After Harvest. Plants, 14(23), 3611. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233611

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