Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.2
3.7
Journals
Agronomy
Special Issues
Physiological Performance of Tree and Fruit Crops under Abiotic Stresses
share announcement

Physiological Performance of Tree and Fruit Crops under Abiotic Stresses

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 7196

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Gabriele Cola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy
Interests: agrometeorology; crop modelling; phenology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Laura Rustioni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, S.P. 6, Lecce-Monteroni, I-73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: viticulture; fruit quality; abiotic stress management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Igor Pacheco Cruz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
INTA, Universidad de Chile, Avenida El Lı́bano, Macul 5524, Santiago, Chile
Interests: fruit quality; phenolic compound content; quantitative genetics; genomics; breeding
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate changes determine the variation in the availability of environmental resources, and in several cases this is translated in the increase of environmental limitations and stresses, with obvious impacts on the quality and quantity of production.

This Special Issue aims to improve the understanding of the physiological processes related to the abovementioned stress condition, also considering the interactions among different stresses in order to support the definition of proper strategies of adaptation.

We are calling for contributions that investigate the different physiological performance of tree and fruit crops in conditions affected by abiotic stresses, with special attention to the characterization of the specific environmental context in which the studies are performed.

Contributions could also consider studies devoted to the development and/or validation of field management techniques able to improve crop resilience. Papers focused on cultivar selection and agroecosystem biodiversity will also be considered.

Dr. Gabriele Cola
Dr. Laura Rustioni
Dr. Igor Pacheco Cruz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental limitations
  • drought
  • heat waves
  • nutrient deficiencies
  • sunburn
  • crop management

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 1030 KiB  
Article
Exogenous Silicon Application Improves Chilling Injury Tolerance and Photosynthetic Performance of Citrus
by Mireille Asanzi Mvondo-She, Jacob Mashilo, Auges Gatabazi, Ashwell Rungano Ndhlala and Mark Delmege Laing
Agronomy 2024, 14(1), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14010139 - 05 Jan 2024
Viewed by 756
Abstract
Low-temperature stress is an important limiting factor affecting citrus growth and fruit yields. Therefore, increasing citrus cold stress tolerance may enhance the growth, yield, and quality of citrus production in marginal areas. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of [...] Read more.
Low-temperature stress is an important limiting factor affecting citrus growth and fruit yields. Therefore, increasing citrus cold stress tolerance may enhance the growth, yield, and quality of citrus production in marginal areas. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of silicon (Si) fertilizer application on cold-tolerance enhancement in citrus. Two citrus cultivars (Delta and Nules) were subjected to Si fertilization (control, 1000 mg L−1) and cold-stress temperature treatments (control and 0 °C for 72 h) using a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial treatment structure with six replications. Leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, such as net photosynthetic rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (Tr), internal CO2 concentration (Ci), intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE), minimal fluorescence (Fo), maximum fluorescence (Fm), maximum quantum efficiency of PSII primary photochemistry of dark-adapted leaves (Fv/Fm), maximum quantum efficiency of PSII primary photochemistry of dark-/light-adapted leaves (F’v/F’m), electron transport rate (ETR), non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), and the relative measure of electron transport to oxygen molecules (ETR/A), were measured. The application of Si drenching to trees that were subsequently exposed to cold stress reduced gs, Tr, and Ci but improved iWUE and Fo in both cultivars compared to the Si-untreated trees. In addition, specific adaptation mechanisms were found in the two citrus species; NPQ and ETR were improved in Si-treated Valencia trees, while A, Fm, and ETR/A were improved in Clementine trees under chilling stress conditions. The current research findings indicate the potential of Si application to enhance cold stress tolerance in citrus, which can provide a strategy for growing citrus in arid and semi-arid regions that may experience cold stress. Overall, after the application of silicon drenching, the cold-sensitive citrus Valencia cultivar became as cold-tolerant as the cold-tolerant Clementine cultivar. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological Performance of Tree and Fruit Crops under Abiotic Stresses)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 1104 KiB  
Article
Breaking Buds—Stop and Go? Acid Invertase Activities in Apple Leaf Buds during Dormancy Release until Bud Break
by Anna M. Hubmann, Alexandra Roth and Stephan Monschein
Agronomy 2023, 13(10), 2659; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13102659 - 23 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1044
Abstract
Bud dormancy enables deciduous fruit trees to endure unfavorable conditions during winter, and considerably impacts growth and reproduction in spring. We investigated acid invertase activities during dormancy release until bud break under natural (orchard) conditions in two consecutive years. Our aim was to [...] Read more.
Bud dormancy enables deciduous fruit trees to endure unfavorable conditions during winter, and considerably impacts growth and reproduction in spring. We investigated acid invertase activities during dormancy release until bud break under natural (orchard) conditions in two consecutive years. Our aim was to relate the activity patterns to the developmental progression and to air temperature, which is a major factor influencing the developmental processes at that stage. The enzyme assays were performed on extracts from leaf buds of the cultivar Idared, sampled from early March to April in the years 2020 and 2021. The air temperature was continually monitored during the observation periods. cwINV activity showed a trend of slight increase at the earlier developmental stages and sharply increased during bud break in both years. cwINV is known to contribute to organ sink strength. Its up-regulation may, therefore, be related to the increasing developmental demand for carbohydrates in apple leaf buds during dormancy release until bud break. vacINV activity was relatively constant at the earlier stages and also showed a pronounced increase in activity during bud break in both years. However, in both years, we observed drops in vacINV activity following cold spells. vacINV activity has been associated with growth via cell elongation through the regulation of cell turgor and may, thus, be involved in bud break. Therefore, we suggest that the down-regulation of vacINV activity as a consequence of cold spells might contribute to a delay in bud break to protect young leaf tissues from exposure to cold stress conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological Performance of Tree and Fruit Crops under Abiotic Stresses)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2924 KiB  
Article
The Flowering of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) in Italy: A Phenology Modeling Approach
by Roberta Alilla, Flora De Natale, Chiara Epifani, Barbara Parisse and Gabriele Cola
Agronomy 2022, 12(7), 1623; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12071623 - 06 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2271
Abstract
Knowledge of the flowering dates of black locust trees (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is crucial information of both economic significance and scientific interest. Black locust is in fact an excellent melliferous plant and can provide information on climate change impacts due to its [...] Read more.
Knowledge of the flowering dates of black locust trees (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is crucial information of both economic significance and scientific interest. Black locust is in fact an excellent melliferous plant and can provide information on climate change impacts due to its large distribution throughout the world as planted and naturalized trees. This paper presents the calibration and validation of a phenological model targeted at the simulation of the whole process of black locust flowering (from BBCH 51—inflorescence of flower buds visible—to BBCH 69—end of flowering). The work relies on the phenological observations gathered in the context of IPHEN, the Italian PHEnological Network, with a broad latitudinal distribution of the observational sites (from 37.53° to 46.28° N) and a long time span, from 2010 to 2021. Phenology modeling is based on the Normal Heat Hours approach, which translates air temperature into thermal units based on a plant specific response curve. As meteorological input data, a high resolution (0.045°) gridded dataset was obtained by spatial interpolation of GSOD (NOAA) weather stations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological Performance of Tree and Fruit Crops under Abiotic Stresses)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 2045 KiB  
Article
A New Strategy to Improve Vineyard Resilience: Grapevine Morphological Adaptation to Short-Term Nitrogen Deficiency
by Daniel Grigorie Dinu, Carmen Florentina Popescu, Dorin Ioan Sumedrea, Andreea Elena Manolescu, Letitia Mariana Pandelea and Laura Rustioni
Agronomy 2022, 12(6), 1355; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12061355 - 02 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2198
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) deficiency causes a morphological disequilibrium between shoots and roots, favoring hypogeal growth. Our hypothesis is that short-term nitrogen deficiency could induce an increase in vine resilience, inducing root growth before the appearance of significant dysfunctions in the epigeal part of the [...] Read more.
Nitrogen (N) deficiency causes a morphological disequilibrium between shoots and roots, favoring hypogeal growth. Our hypothesis is that short-term nitrogen deficiency could induce an increase in vine resilience, inducing root growth before the appearance of significant dysfunctions in the epigeal part of the plant. Then, nitrogen availability could be promptly restored through a well-thought-out fertilization plan. In this experiment, two table grape cultivars grafted onto three different rootstocks were studied in three hydroponic growing conditions characterized by different nitrogen availability. After 53 days of treatment, plant morphologies were described, and leaf photosynthetic pigments were quantified. The short-term nitrogen deficiency induced root growth, leading to significantly different proportions among the hypogeal and the epigeal parts, despite no significant differences were recorded concerning shoot growth. Some small differences in the leaf pigmentations indicated an incipient symptom of nitrogen deficiency, and significant differences in the phytomer morphology indicated the possibility of developing low-cost indices for prompt identification of incipient symptoms. This will allow the exploitation of the advantages of short-term nitrogen deficiency while avoiding negative effects on shoot growth by promptly restoring the nitrogen availability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological Performance of Tree and Fruit Crops under Abiotic Stresses)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop