The effect of temperature on growth and dry matter production of lychee seedlings

doi:10.1016/0304-4238(85)90097-4

Scientia Horticulturae

Volume 26, Issue 1, May 1985, Pages 17-23

https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4238(85)90097-4 Get rights and content

Abstract

In lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.), high day/night temperatures ( $3025$ , $2520$ , $2015 ° C$ compared to $1510 ° C$ ) increased stem extension, node and leaf production and plant dry weight in seedling selections of 6 cultivars (‘Bengal’, ‘Haak Yip’, ‘Kwai May’, ‘Gee Kee’, ‘Tai So’ and ‘Wai Chee’). The mean daily base temperature for shoot growth (node production) was estimated by linear correlation to be 11.0°C for the seedlings. High temperatures also increased the proportion of leaf and decreased the proportion of root in the total dry weight. There was a strong effect of cultivar on all aspects of growth, but the responses to temperature were similar.

This experiment shows that temperatures in many tropical and warm sub-tropical areas where lychees are grown are too high to induce satisfactory vegetative dormancy prior to floral initiation. The assessment of lychee seedlings for low vigour in a heated glasshouse appears to be a useful technique for the initial screening of adapted genotypes (which flower and fruit under warm conditions) prior to field evaluation.

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There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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Root growth, cytokinin and shoot dormancy in lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.)
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Potted lychee trees (cv. Tai so) with mature vegetative flushes were grown under three day/night temperature regimes known to induce floral (18/13 °C), intermediate (23/18 °C) and vegetative (28/23 °C) shoot structures. Root and shoot growth was shown to alternate at all temperatures, with root growth occurring during shoot dormancy and in the initial stages of shoot emergence. As temperature decreased, the rate of root growth decreased and the length of the shoot dormancy period increased. Increasing the period of the endogenous shoot/root growth rhythm was sufficient to induce floral initiation. At all temperatures, shoot dormancy was broken after a similar amount of root growth. This occurred at approximately 3, 6 and 8 weeks for 28/23, 23/18 and 18/13 °C, respectively. The concentration of the cytokinin, zeatin riboside, increased in parallel with an increase in root growth rate, reaching a peak in terminal buds just prior to shoot emergence. Application of zeatin riboside to dormant buds resulted in bud-break, but full emergence did not occur. It is proposed that root growth has a strong influence on the period of shoot dormancy, possibly through the initiation of bud-break by zeatin riboside, and can influence emerging shoot structure.
Photosynthesis, leaf morphology, and shoot growth as affected by temperatures in cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) trees
1999, Scientia Horticulturae
Shoot growth, leaf morphology, leaf chlorophyll content, and leaf gas exchange were investigated for cherimoya trees grown in a sunlit glass-house where day/night temperatures were kept at 30/25°C (warm) and 20/15°C (cool). The shoot growth at warm temperatures was greater than that at cool temperatures until 2 months after sprouting. After that, it became less at cooler temperatures. Both leaf number and area decreased at warm temperatures within 3 months of sprouting. The leaf palisade and spongy layers were thinner at warm temperatures. Specific leaf area at warm temperatures was significantly larger. The chlorophyll content of leaves at warm temperatures also decreased 6 weeks after the full expansion. Warm temperatures reduced leaf CO₂ assimilation rate (A_C) because of both stomatal and non-stomatal limitations. A_C and stomatal conductance were suppressed during the midday hours at warm temperatures, suggesting that stomatal closure reduced A_C. The ratio of 1 − C_i (intercellular CO₂ partial pressure)/C_a (ambient CO₂ partial pressure) at warm to that at cool temperatures indicated that CO₂ fixation ability of leaves grown at warm temperatures was 59% of that at cool temperatures, irrespective of stomatal effect. The initial slope of the A_C/C_i curve, which indicates ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco) activity of leaves developed at warm temperatures was 67% of those at cool temperatures.
Effects of temperature on growth, dry matter production and CO<inf>2</inf> assimilation in cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) and sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.) seedlings
1998, Scientia Horticulturae
This study compares the growth and physiological response of cherimoya and sugar apple seedlings in order to examine their adaptability to 20/15°C and 30/25°C day/night temperatures in sunlit glass-house conditions. Shoot growth was higher at 30/25°C than at 20/15°C in both species. In sugar apple, temperature had obviously positive effects on shoot growth: the shoot grew vigorously at 30/25°C, but slowly at 20/15°C. In cherimoya, temperature effects were relatively small: differences in growth response at the two temperature regimes were smaller than those in sugar apple. Starch content in sugar apple was also higher at 30/25°C, whereas that in stem and root of cherimoya was higher at 20/15°C. Carbon dioxide assimilation rate (A_CO₂) of the two species was higher at 30/25°C than at 20/15°C under low irradiance. In cherimoya, A_CO₂ decreased drastically when leaves were exposed to high irradiance at 30/25°C. High temperature and irradiance increased leaf temperature to above 35°C. With increased leaf temperature, leaf vapor pressure deficit rose and stomatal conductance declined. This acclimation was associated with the reduction of photosynthesis in cherimoya. Sugar apple had higher photosynthetic activity at 30/25°C, which reflected in vigorous shoot growth. Relatively constant leaf temperature in sugar apple seemed to facilitate the high rate of A_CO₂ in warm conditions. The results of this study indicate that temperature affected shoot growth and photosynthesis by influencing stomatal conductance via leaf vapor pressure deficit in cherimoya.
Growth, flowering and yield of lychee cultivars
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The main period of vegetative flushing in high-yielding lychee trees (Litchi chinensis Sonn. cultivars ‘Tai So’, ‘Haak Yip’ and ‘Wai Chee’) in seven orchards in subtropical Australia (latitude 27°S) occurred after harvest from late summer and ceased 4–6 weeks before panicle emergence in May–July. Trees did not flush during winter or spring unless flowering or fruit set failed. There was no evidence of concurrent vegetative and reproductive growth in the same shoot. There was an inverse correlation between the percentage of branches flowering and the percentageof branches flushing vegetatively in the 4–6 weeks preceding panicle emergence. Satisfactory yields were usually obtained when more than 90% of the terminal branches flowered.
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The effect of temperature on growth and dry matter production of lychee seedlings

Abstract

Scientia Hortic.

Scientia Hortic.

Scientia Hortic.

The effect of temperature on growth and nutrient uptake in three litchi varieties

Res. Rep. Trop. Fruit Res. Stn., Alstonville, N.S.W.

Effects of air and soil temperatures on vegetative growth of citrus

J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci.