Alejandro Pérez Pastor

Daily variations in water relations of apricot trees under different irrigation regimes

Mature apricot (Prunus armeniaca L. cv. Búlida) trees, growing under field conditions, were submitted to two drip irrigation treatments: a control (T1), irrigated to 100 % of seasonal crop evapotranspiration (ETc), and a continuous deficit (T2), irrigated to 50 % of the control throughout the year. The behaviour of leaf water potential and its components, leaf conductance and net photosynthesis were studied at three different times during the growing season, when they revealed a diurnal and seasonal pattern in response to water stress, evaporative demand of the atmosphere and leaf age. The deficit-irrigated trees showed, among other effects, a pronounced decrease in leaf water potential (ψw), decreased in leaf conductance (gs) and no osmotic adjustment. For this reason, gl and ψw can be considered good indicators of mature apricot tree water status and can therefore be used for irrigation scheduling.

Casual Recognition of an Azygous Continuation of the Inferior Vena cava in a Patient with Lung Cancer

Anomalous continuation of the inferior vena cava with an azygous vein is a rare vacular anomaly. The enlarged venous system may simulate adenopathies or mediastinal and retroperitoneal masses on the radiographs. We describe the case of a patient with lung cancer – a pathological condition which may cause adenopathies at these sites – and a dilated azygous-hemiazygous system resulting from failure of formation of the hepatic segment of the inferior vena cava.