Water relations, biochemical-physiological and yield responses of olive trees (Olea europaea L. cvs. Arbequina and Manzanilla) under drought stress during the pre-flowering and flowering period

PIERLUIGI PIERTANTOZZI; MARIELA TORRES; BODOIRA ROMINA; DAMIÁN MAESTRI

AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2013 vol. 125 p. 13 - 13

0378-3774

n arid and semiarid regions from Argentina, where the main olive production areas arelocated, evapotranspiration is high and rainfall is minimal during winter and spring months, ascompared with the Mediterranean region where winter rainfall precludes the need of irrigation in such period. The aim of the work was to study water relations, biochemical-physiological and yieldresponses of olive trees (Olea europaea L., Arbequina and Manzanilla cultivars) under differentdrought stress levels applied during the pre-flowering - flowering period. Increasing levels of waterdeficit affected plant water relations as measured by pronounced drops of stem water potentials (near -4.0 MPa) in treatments with severe water deprivation at the end of the flowering period. Deficit irrigation was associated with some leaf-level biochemical-physiological responses (accumulation of osmotically active substances, increased concentration of high molecular weight hydrocarbons and c