Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2020

Publication Title

Plants

Volume

9

Issue

10

Publisher

MDPI

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101353

Abstract

Variable fall temperature and moisture conditions may alter leaf senescence of deciduous fruit trees, influencing carbon assimilation before dormancy and phenology the following spring. This study explored gas exchange of young peach trees (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) when senescence proceeded normally or was delayed during the fall under two soil moisture treatments: Well-irrigated trees or water deficit. Results showed leaf carbon assimilation was similar between the senescence treatments, but whole tree assimilation was estimated to be greater in delayed senescence trees compared to normal senescence trees based on timing of defoliation and total leaf area. The effect of soil moisture on carbon assimilation was not consistent between years. Delayed sap flow and bloom time resulted as a consequence of delayed senescence the previous fall, but soil moisture did not affect spring phenology.

Comments

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

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