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Volume 14
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Article

Productive, Physiological, and Soil Microbiological Responses to Severe Water Stress During Fruit Maturity in a Super High-Density European Plum Orchard

by
Arturo Calderón-Orellana
1,*,
Gonzalo Plaza-Rojas
1,
Macarena Gerding
1,
Gabriela Huepe
1,
Mathias Kuschel-Otárola
2,
Richard M. Bastías
1,
Tamara Alvear
1,
Andrés Olivos
3 and
Mauricio Calderón-Orellana
3
1
Departamento de Producción Vegetal, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Concepción, Chillán 3780000, Chile
2
Departamento de Suelos y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Concepción, Chillán 3780000, Chile
3
OLIVOS Riego Spa, Curicó 3340000, Chile
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2025, 14(8), 1222; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14081222
Submission received: 20 March 2025 / Revised: 10 April 2025 / Accepted: 14 April 2025 / Published: 16 April 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Fruit Development and Abiotic Stress)
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Abstract

The super high-density (SHD) production system has recently been introduced to the Chilean European plum (Prunus domestica L.) industry, but the potential of applying regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) in this system remains unexplored. As irrigation water availability in Chile has been strongly jeopardized by climate change, there is an urgent need to validate water-conserving practices in modern production systems. A field study was conducted in a commercial SHD European plum orchard (cv. French grafted on Rootpac-20 rootstock) for two consecutive seasons in Peralillo, O’Higgins Region, Chile. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a late water deficit (LD) on water productivity, fruit quality, plant water relations, and soil microbiota. The results showed that implementing LD enhanced water productivity by 40% without compromising fresh and dry fruit quality. Moderate to severe water stress induced no changes in physiological parameters such as stomatal conductance and photochemical efficiency. Additionally, the LD treatment significantly reduced soil moisture but increased the abundance of certain groups of beneficial soil microbiota and fine roots. These results highlight the potential of LD as a viable water-conserving practice in modern SHD European plum orchards, particularly in regions facing water scarcity due to climate change.
Keywords: water productivity; late deficit irrigation; water stress; plant growth-promoting bacteria; fruit quality; prune orchard water productivity; late deficit irrigation; water stress; plant growth-promoting bacteria; fruit quality; prune orchard

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MDPI and ACS Style

Calderón-Orellana, A.; Plaza-Rojas, G.; Gerding, M.; Huepe, G.; Kuschel-Otárola, M.; Bastías, R.M.; Alvear, T.; Olivos, A.; Calderón-Orellana, M. Productive, Physiological, and Soil Microbiological Responses to Severe Water Stress During Fruit Maturity in a Super High-Density European Plum Orchard. Plants 2025, 14, 1222. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14081222

AMA Style

Calderón-Orellana A, Plaza-Rojas G, Gerding M, Huepe G, Kuschel-Otárola M, Bastías RM, Alvear T, Olivos A, Calderón-Orellana M. Productive, Physiological, and Soil Microbiological Responses to Severe Water Stress During Fruit Maturity in a Super High-Density European Plum Orchard. Plants. 2025; 14(8):1222. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14081222

Chicago/Turabian Style

Calderón-Orellana, Arturo, Gonzalo Plaza-Rojas, Macarena Gerding, Gabriela Huepe, Mathias Kuschel-Otárola, Richard M. Bastías, Tamara Alvear, Andrés Olivos, and Mauricio Calderón-Orellana. 2025. "Productive, Physiological, and Soil Microbiological Responses to Severe Water Stress During Fruit Maturity in a Super High-Density European Plum Orchard" Plants 14, no. 8: 1222. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14081222

APA Style

Calderón-Orellana, A., Plaza-Rojas, G., Gerding, M., Huepe, G., Kuschel-Otárola, M., Bastías, R. M., Alvear, T., Olivos, A., & Calderón-Orellana, M. (2025). Productive, Physiological, and Soil Microbiological Responses to Severe Water Stress During Fruit Maturity in a Super High-Density European Plum Orchard. Plants, 14(8), 1222. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14081222

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