Stomatal Number and Size in Horticultural Tree Species: Seasonal and Varietal Variation to face different climatic conditions

IF 4.2 2区农林科学 Q1 HORTICULTURE

Scientia Horticulturae Pub Date : 2025-09-01 DOI:10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114389

Simona Pitardi , Agostino Chiriacò , Mario Pellegrino, Alessandro Pesole, Andrea Mazzeo, Giuseppe Ferrara

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Stomatal traits play a fundamental role in plant gas exchange, balancing CO₂ uptake and water loss to optimize photosynthesis and water use efficiency (WUE). This study investigated stomatal characteristics in six horticultural tree species (grape, pomegranate, pecan, carob, mulberry and lemon) grown either in the University of Bari repository or in commercial orchards. Stomatal density (SD) and size (length, width and area) (SS) in Southern Italy over two growing seasons (2019 and 2020) were analysed by coating both the abaxial and adaxial sides of the leaves (and leaflets in the case of pecan and carob) with clear nail polish which was then removed with a transparent adhesive tape. The results revealed significant interspecific and intraspecific variations, highlighting species-specific adaptive strategies of either varieties or clones. Grapevine exhibited the largest stomata area (average 488 μm²), with a wide inter-varietal variability, ranging from 284 μm² in Verdeca #19 to 726 μm² of Negramaro #12, whereas lemon and pomegranate had the smallest ones (120-192 μm²). The SD ranged from 165/mm² in grapevine to 712/mm² in lemon, with intermediate values in carob (214/mm²), mulberry (468/mm²), pecan (505/mm²), and pomegranate (593/mm²). Seasonal effects were species-dependent: pecan and grapevine consistently showed a reduction in SD, decreasing from 555 to 461 and from 178 to 152 stomata/mm² respectively, while grapevine also exhibited a decrease in SS, from 508 μm² in 2019 to 481 μm² in 2020. Conversely, pomegranate increased both SD (576 to 608 stomata/mm²) and SS (156 to 201 μm²) in 2020 with respect to 2019, suggesting a different adaptive strategy since the 2019 was a drier summer season with respect to 2020. These findings underscore the role of stomatal traits in species as a tool for a better resilience to climatic variability. The results also provide valuable insights into optimizing fruit tree selection for the different agricultural areas, with important implications for a sustainable agriculture in the context of climate change where water availability is a key factor.

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园艺树种气孔数量和大小：季节和品种在不同气候条件下的变化

气孔性状在植物气体交换、平衡co2吸收和水分损失以优化光合作用和水分利用效率（WUE）方面发挥着重要作用。本研究调查了6种园艺树种（葡萄、石榴、山核桃、角豆树、桑树和柠檬）在巴里大学库和商业果园中的气孔特征。对意大利南部两个生长季节（2019年和2020年）的气孔密度（SD）和大小（长度、宽度和面积）（SS）进行了分析，方法是在叶片的背面和正面（山核桃和角豆的小叶）涂上透明指甲油，然后用透明胶带去除。结果显示了显著的种间和种内变异，突出了品种或无性系的物种特异性适应策略。葡萄的气孔面积最大（平均488 μm²），品种间变异较大，从Verdeca #19的284 μm²到Negramaro #12的726 μm²，而柠檬和石榴的气孔面积最小（120 ~ 192 μm²）。葡萄的SD值为165/mm²，柠檬的SD值为712/mm²，角豆为214/mm²，桑为468/mm²，山核桃为505/mm²，石榴为593/mm²。季节效应具有物种依赖性：山核桃和葡萄藤的SD均呈下降趋势，分别从555个气孔/mm²减少到461个气孔/mm²和从178个气孔/mm²减少到152个气孔/mm²，而葡萄藤的SS也呈下降趋势，从2019年的508 μ²减少到2020年的481 μ²。相反，与2019年相比，石榴在2020年增加了SD（576至608气孔/mm²）和SS（156至201 μ²），这表明2019年是一个相对于2020年更干燥的夏季，因此适应策略不同。这些发现强调了气孔特征在物种中作为更好地适应气候变化的工具的作用。研究结果还为优化不同农业地区的果树选择提供了有价值的见解，对气候变化背景下的可持续农业具有重要意义，其中水资源供应是一个关键因素。

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来源期刊

Scientia Horticulturae 农林科学-园艺

CiteScore

8.60

自引率

4.70%

发文量

796

审稿时长

47 days

期刊介绍： Scientia Horticulturae is an international journal publishing research related to horticultural crops. Articles in the journal deal with open or protected production of vegetables, fruits, edible fungi and ornamentals under temperate, subtropical and tropical conditions. Papers in related areas (biochemistry, micropropagation, soil science, plant breeding, plant physiology, phytopathology, etc.) are considered, if they contain information of direct significance to horticulture. Papers on the technical aspects of horticulture (engineering, crop processing, storage, transport etc.) are accepted for publication only if they relate directly to the living product. In the case of plantation crops, those yielding a product that may be used fresh (e.g. tropical vegetables, citrus, bananas, and other fruits) will be considered, while those papers describing the processing of the product (e.g. rubber, tobacco, and quinine) will not. The scope of the journal includes all horticultural crops but does not include speciality crops such as, medicinal crops or forestry crops, such as bamboo. Basic molecular studies without any direct application in horticulture will not be considered for this journal.