Leaf anatomical traits shape lettuce physiological response to vapor pressure deficit and light intensity.

ABSTRACT:

Main conclusion

Anatomical plasticity in stomatal, vascular, and mesophyll traits enables lettuce to partially buffer high evaporative and irradiance stress, advancing understanding of crop acclimation under a changing environment. Phenotypic plasticity in leaf anatomical and physiological traits is fundamental for plant acclimation to variable environmental conditions. While the individual effects of light intensity and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) on plant performance are relatively well understood, their interactive influence on leaf structure and function remains underexplored. Here, we investigated the response of Lactuca sativa L. var. capitata ('Salanova') to combinations of two VPD levels (0.78 and 1.4 kPa) and three daily light integrals (DLIs; 8.6, 12.9, and 15.5 mol m⁻

SUBMITTER: Amitrano C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12479579 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature