Enhanced Photosynthetic Capacity, Osmotic Adjustment and Antioxidant Defenses Contribute to Improve Tolerance to Moderate Water Deficit and Recovery of Triploid Citrus Genotypes

Radia Lourkisti (1) , Yann Froelicher (2, 3, 4) , Raphaël Morillon (2, 4) , Liliane Berti (1) , Jérémie Santini (1)

1 Laboratoire de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire Végétales - UMR6134
2 UMR AGAP - Amélioration génétique et adaptation des plantes méditerranéennes et tropicales
3 AGAP-Corse - Amélioration Génétique et Adaptation des Plantes méditerranéennes et Tropicales Corse - Antenne Corse
4 Cirad-BIOS - Département Systèmes Biologiques

Currently, drought stress is a major issue for crop productivity, and future climate models predict a rise in frequency and severity of drought episodes. Polyploidy has been related to improved tolerance of plants to environmental stresses. In Citrus breeding programs, the use of triploidy is an effective way to produce seedless fruits, one of the greatest consumer expectations. The current study used physiological and biochemical parameters to assess the differential responses to moderate water deficit of 3x genotypes compared to 2x genotypes belonging to the same hybridization. Both parents, the mandarin Fortune and Ellendale tangor, were also included in the experimental design, while the 2x common clementine tree was used as reference. Water deficit affects leaf water status, as well as physiological and detoxification processes. Triploid genotypes showed a better ability to maintain water status through increased proline content and photosynthetic capacity. Moreover, less oxidative damage was associated with stronger antioxidant defenses in triploid genotypes. We also found that triploidy improved the recovery capacity after a water deficit episode.

Mots clés: antioxidant system; ROS accumulation; osmolytes; enzymatic antioxidant; Citrus; polyploidy; drought stress

Domaines: Biochimie, Biologie Moléculaire

Radia Lourkisti, Yann Froelicher, Raphaël Morillon, Liliane Berti, Jérémie Santini. Enhanced Photosynthetic Capacity, Osmotic Adjustment and Antioxidant Defenses Contribute to Improve Tolerance to Moderate Water Deficit and Recovery of Triploid Citrus Genotypes. Antioxidants , 2022, 11 (3), ⟨10.3390/antiox11030562⟩. ⟨hal-03642340⟩