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- Effects of foliar application of organic acids on strawberry plantsPublication . Saavedra, Teresa; Gama, Florinda; Rodrigues, Maria Joao; Abadía, Javier; de Varennes, Amarilis; Pestana, Maribela; Da Silva, José Paulo; Correia, Pedro JoséThe large economic costs and environmental impacts of iron-chelate treatments has led to the search for alter-native methods and compounds to control iron (Fe) deficiency chlorosis. Strawberry plants (Fragaria x ananassa) were grown in Hoagland's nutrient solution in a greenhouse with two levels of Fe: 0 and 10 mu M Fe(III)-EDDHA. After 20 days, plants growing without Fe showed typical symptoms of Fe deficiency chlorosis in young leaves. Then, the adaxial and abaxial sides of one mature or one young leaf in each plant were brushed with 10 mM malic (MA), citric (CA) or succinic (SA) acids. Eight applications were done over a two-week period. At the end of the experiment, the newly emerged (therefore untreated), young and mature leaves were sampled for nutritional and metabolomic analysis, to assess the effectiveness of treatments. Leaf regreening was monitored using a SPAD-502 apparatus, and the activity of the ferric chelate-reductase activity (FCR) was measured using root tips. Iron deficiency negatively affected biomass and leaf chlorophyll but did not increase FCR activity. Application of succinic acid alleviated the decrease in chlorophyll observed in other treatments, and the overall nutritional balance in the plant was also changed. The concentrations of two quinic acid derivatives increased under Fe deficiency and decreased in plants treated with succinic acid, and thus they are proposed as Fe stress markers. Data suggest that foliage treatments with carboxylates may be, in some cases, environmentally friendly alter-natives to Fe(III)-chelates. The importance of Fe mobilization pathways in the formulation of new fertilizers is also discussed.
- Nutritional performance of Five Citrus rootstocks under different Fe levelsPublication . Pestana, Maribela; García-Caparrós, Pedro; Saavedra, Teresa; Gama, Florinda; Abadía, Javier; Varennes, Amarilis de; Correia, Pedro JoséIron is an essential micronutrient for citrus, playing an important role in photosynthesis and yield. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the tolerance to Fe deficiency of five citrus rootstocks: sour orange (S), Carrizo citrange (C), Citrus macrophylla (M), Troyer citrange (T), and Volkamer lemon (V). Plants were grown for 5 weeks in nutrient solution that contained the following Fe concentrations (in µM): 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20. At the end of the experiment, biomass (dry weight— DW), leaf area, total leaf chlorophyll (CHL), and the activity of root chelate reductase (FCR) were recorded. Additionally, the mineral composition of roots (R) and shoots (S) was evaluated. Principal component analysis was used to study the relationships between all parameters and, subsequently, the relations between rootstocks. In the first component, N-S, P-S, Ca-S, Cu-S, Zn-S, Mn-S, Zn-R, and Mn-R concentrations were related to leaf CHL and FCR. Increases in leaf CHL, Mg-R, and DW (shoots and roots) were inversely related to Cu-R, which was shown in the second component. The values obtained were consistent for V10, C15, and C20, but in contrast for S0 and S5. In conclusion, micronutrient homeostasis in roots and shoots of all rootstocks were affected by Fe stress conditions. The Fe/Cu ratio was significantly related to CHL, which may be used to assist rootstock performance.
- Development and recovery of iron deficiency by iron resupply to roots or leaves of strawberry plantsPublication . Pestana, M.; Correia, P. J.; Saavedra, Teresa; Gama, Florinda; Abadía, Anunciación; Varennes, Amarilis deBare-root transplants of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch. cv. ‘Selva’) were transferred to nutrient solutions with or without iron (Fe). After six weeks of growth, plants grown in solution lacking Fe were chlorotic and showed morphological changes in roots typical of Fe deficiency. Subsequently, four treatments were applied for nine days: plants grown in continued absence of Fe (Fe0); plants grown in continued presence of 10 mM Fe (Fe10); foliar application of ferrous sulphate every two days to chlorotic plants (Fe-leaves); and growth of chlorotic plants in solution with ferrous sulphate (Fe-solution). After six days, the chlorophyll (Chl) content in leaves of Fe-solution plants was similar to that in Fe10 plants. Under the Fe-leaves treatment, a slight regreening of new leaves was observed only by the end of the experiment. After nine days, ferric chelate reductase (FC-R) activity was unchanged in Fe10 but increased in Fe0 plants. The FC-R activity of Fe-solution plants was similar to the initial value for chlorotic plants, whereas it was reduced drastically under the Fe-leaves treatment. The Fe concentration in leaves of Fe0 and Fe10 was similar, whereas the Fe-solution and Fe-leaves treatments enhanced leaf Fe concentration. In contrast to the Fe-solution treatment, foliar application of Fe did not increase the Fe concentration in roots. Under our experimental conditions, FC-R activity in strawberry appeared to be deactivated rapidly by pulses of Fe applied by foliar sprays. Deactivation was slower if Fe was applied directly to roots, which suggested that the plants had greater opportunity to take Fe.