Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) Response to Water Stress: Physiological Characterization and Antioxidant Gene Expression Profiling in Commercial Clones.

ABSTRACT: The increase in events associated with drought constraints plant growth and crop performance. Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is sensitive to water deficit stress (DS), which limits productivity. The aim of this research was to characterise the response of seven (CCN51, FEAR5, ICS1, ICS60, ICS95, EET8, and TSH565) commercially important cacao clones to severe and temporal water deficit stress. Ten-month-old cacao trees were submitted to two treatments: well-watered and water-stressed until the leaf water potential (Ψ _leaf) reached values between -3.0 and -3.5 MPa. The effects of hydric stress on water relations, gas exchange, photochemical activity, membrane integrity and oxidative stress-related gene expression were evaluated. All clones showed decreases in Ψ

SUBMITTER: Osorio Zambrano MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8450537 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature