EFFECT OF IRRIGATION REGIME ON PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND LEAF WATER POTENTIAL OF VITIS VINIFERA L. (CV. ALPHONZE LAVALLÉ) IN VENEZUELA
Authors:
F.J. Araujo, T. Urdaneta, M. Marin, L.E. Williams
Keywords:
Net CO2 Assimilation rate, Leaf water potential, Grapevine, Tropics, Irrigation regime
Abstract:
Net CO2 assimilation rate (A) and leaf water potential (1) were measured weekly at midday and diurnally on selected days throughout two growing cycles of grapevines grown in the tropics (Venezuela). Vines in a low and a high irrigation treatment were selected for measurements.
The average cycle Kps for the two irrigation treatments were 0.31 and 0.65. The differences in midday 1 between the high and low irrigation treatments, although consistent, were relatively small (0.14 MPa). This was probably due to the fact that midday 1 was similar in both irrigation treatments during the first third of the growing cycles.
The diurnal behavior of 1 was similar to that reported elsewhere.
For both irrigation treatments the highest values of A (18–20 μmol CO2. m-1. s-1) were obtained during the early morning hours up until 10 a.m. depending upon photon flux density (PFD) of that particular day.
Later in the day A slowly decreased for both irrigation treatments independent of further increases in PFD and/or temperature.
Stomatal conductance responded similarly to that of A. Photoinhibition of photosynthesis may be responsible for the reduction in A prior to midday for both irrigation treatments.
Further study is warranted to determine the physiological response of V. vinifera grown under tropical environmental conditions.