Stefania Toscano

A simple model for nondestructive leaf area estimation in bedding plants

Measurement of leaf area is commonly used in many horticultural research experiments, but it is generally destructive, requiring leaves to be removed for measurement. Determining the individual leaf area (LA) of bedding plants like pot marigold (Calendula officinalis L.), dahlia (Dahlia pinnata), sweet William (Dianthus barbatus L.), geranium (Pelargonium × hortorum), petunia (Petunia × hybrida), and pansy (Viola wittrockiana) involves measurements of leaf parameters such as length (L) and width (W) or some combinations of these parameters. Two experiments were carried out during spring 2010 (on two pot marigold, four dahlia, three sweet William, four geranium, three petunia, and three pansy cultivars) and summer 2010 (on one cultivar per species) under greenhouse conditions to test whether a model could be developed to estimate LA of bedding plants across cultivars. Regression analysis of LA versus L and W revealed several models that could be used for estimating the area of individual bedding plants leaves. A linear model having LW as the independent variable provided the most accurate estimate (highest R2, smallest mean square error, and the smallest predicted residual error sum of squares) of LA in all bedding plants. Validation of the model having LW of leaves measured in the summer 2010 experiment coming from other cultivars of bedding plants showed that the correlation between calculated and measured bedding plants leaf areas was very high. Therefore, these allometric models could be considered simple and useful tools in many experimental comparisons without the use of any expensive instruments.

Physiological and Biochemical Responses in Two Ornamental Shrubs to Drought Stress.

Drought stress is one of the most important abiotic stress limiting the plant survival and growth in the Mediterranean environment. In this work, two species typically grown in Mediterranean areas with different drought responses were used. Two shrubs, with slow (Photinia × fraseri Dress ‘Red Robin’) or fast (Eugenia uniflora L. ‘Etna Fire’) adaptation ability to drought, were subjected to three water regimes: well-watered (WW), moderate (MD), and severe (SD) drought stress conditions for 30 days. Net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), and antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase) were measured. Results showed that RWC and proline were higher in Eugenia than in Photinia, demonstrating the greater tolerance of the latter to the water stress. The drought stress levels applied did not compromise photosynthetic efficiency through stomatal regulation, while a reduction of Fv/Fm ratio was observed at the end of the experimental period. MDA significantly increased after 30 days in both species. The antioxidant enzyme activities showed different responses to water stress conditions. In both species, the water stress scores showed positive, while proline content showed negative correlations with all physiological parameters.

Leaf physiological and anatomical responses of Lantana and Ligustrum species under different water availability

Understanding the plant characteristics that support tolerance to water stress is important in choosing plants in arid or semi-arid environments, such as the Mediterranean. In particular, leaf characteristics can affect the response of plants to water stress. In order to understand how plants with different leaf features can overcome water stress, four water regimes were adopted on two species that are widespread in the Mediterranean environment, Lantana camara and Ligustrum lucidum. The four treatments were: control (C), in which the pot substrate moisture was maintained close to water container capacity (WCC), light deficit irrigation (LDI) irrigated at 75% of WCC, moderate deficit irrigation (MDI) at 50% of WCC, and severe deficit irrigation (SDI) at 25% of WCC. To better understand the action mechanisms, the trial was repeated twice (from January to May, and from May to September). Morphological, anatomical and physiological data were measured to identify the action mechanisms. Water deficit significantly decreased the biomass accumulation in both species during the experimental growth period. In Lantana, significant variations in total leaf area and leaf number were registered between C and SDI, while in Ligustrum, the differences were significant only for total leaf area. The water deficit treatments reduced the leaf thickness especially in Ligustrum. In both species, photosynthesis reduction was related to stomatal closure. Ligustrum showed a higher variability among treatments indicating a faster and more efficient response to water limitations compared to Lantana, as also demonstrated by the lower biomass reduction in the most severe water stress treatment.