ISHS Acta Horticulturae 795: V International Cherry Symposium
HISTOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF CHERRY ROOTSTOCKS |
| Authors: | GY. Végvári, K. Hrotkó, L. Magyar, A. Hajagos, K. Csigai |
| Keywords: | Prunus avium, plant histology, scanning electron microscopy, water deficiency |
| Abstract:
In trials of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) trees on dwarfing rootstocks in Hungary, some trees show water deficiency symptoms during the hot summer. There are some indications that the histological structure of the stem may influence water transport in xylem and phloem. Considering these possible relationships, the histological structure of stems of different cherry rootstocks such as ‘GiSelA 5’, P. fruticosa ‘Prob’, P. mahaleb (L.) ‘SL 64’, ‘Magyar’, ‘Bogdány’, ‘Brokforest’ (MaxMa 14), P. cerasus (L.) ‘CAB 11E’ and Mazzard was investigated. During endodormancy, cross-sections of one-year-old shoots were studied by scanning electron microscope. In preliminary analyses of the P. mahaleb, P. avium and P. cerasus rootstocks, the xylem surface area in the stem cross-sections was double that of the phloem, while in ‘GiSelA 5’, we found an opposite ratio with a considerably smaller xylem surface area. In addition, the average tracheid diameter in stems of ‘GiSelA 5’ was found to be considerably smaller compared to the other rootstocks. Considering the low xylem ratio in the stem cross-section of ‘GiSelA 5’, the “porosity” of the whole stem is smallest in this rootstock and in P. fruticosa ‘Prob’. Sweet cherry trees on both rootstocks suffer from water deficiency on hot summer days. It is notable that the porosity in P. cerasus ‘CAB 11E’ is the largest. If the xylem morphology and tracheid lumen ratio in the young xylem of the rootstock portion of sweet cherry trees grafted on ‘GiSelA 5’ or ‘Prob’ remains the same, this large difference in stem structure may influence the xylem transport and storage capacity of the trees, which may lead to water deficiency on hot summer days. | |
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