Does green stem photosynthesis affect plant drought tolerance and recovery in avocado?

ABSTRACT: 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

SUBMITTER: Valverdi NA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12448719 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature