A water availability gradient reveals the deficit level required to affect traits in potted juvenile Eucalyptus globulus.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Drought leading to soil water deficit can have severe impacts on plants. Water deficit may lead to plant water stress and affect growth and chemical traits. Plant secondary metabolite (PSM) responses to water deficit vary between compounds and studies, with inconsistent reports of changes to PSM concentrations even within a single species. This disparity may result from experimental water deficit variation among studies, and so multiple water deficit treatments are used to fully assess PSM responses in a single species.

Methods

Juvenile Eucalyptus globulus were grown for 8 weeks at one of ten water deficit levels based on evapotranspiration from control plants (100 %). Treatments ranged from 90 % of control evapotranspiration (mild water deficit) to 0 % o

SUBMITTER: McKiernan AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5604578 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature