The GREASE project: Sustainable cultivation of Greco grapevine - Reconstruction of the vines ecophysiological behaviour

The increasing irregularity in precipitation patterns and frequency of extreme drought events in the Mediterranean area is challenging the sustainability of grapevine production, especially in some areas of southern Italy. Here, being the grapevine mostly rainfed-cultivated, there is a strong demand for cultivation techniques aiming to improve water use efficiency and water stress tolerance.Pruning techniques and training system can have an effect on the hydraulic architecture of vines, thus on their hydraulic behavior that is strictly coordinated with photosynthetic efficiency and ultimately contribute to determine yield and grape quality.In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether and to what extent a change in pruning technique can influence the efficiency and safety of water flow in vines. In order to pursue this objective, we combined the dendro-sciences approach, analysing tree-ring width and anatomical features of vines subjected to an abrupt change in the pruning technique. The study was conducted within the GREASE project, funded by the Campania Region through the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, within the framework of the optimization of agricultural practices for improving grapevine resources-use efficiency for the sustainable management of vineyards.The study was conducted in a vineyard of Vitis vinifera L. subsp. vinifera &#8216;Greco&#8217; (Feudi di San Gregorio farm) located in southern Italy (Avellino) at a site where the pruning technique was changed in 2004 following the method by Simonit & Sirch (Simonit 2014 Manuale di potatura della vite Ed IA; Sun et al 2008 Am J Bot 95:1498-1505). This method applies pruning cuts oriented in a way to drive vine natural tendency in the branching, to reduce injuries stress, in order to modulate the hydraulic pathway to reduce resistances to flow. Wood cores were extracted by the vines trunk, tree-rings were dated and widths were measured according to dendro-chronological techniques using WinDENDRO software. Then the cores were subjected to thin sectioning to obtain tree-ring series that were analysed through microscopy and subjected to digital image analysis. Wood anatomical traits, linked with hydraulic conductivity and vulnerability, were quantified in each year. The tree-ring series were then annually separated and d13C was measured in each year, in order to obtain information on intrinsic water use efficiency. The overall wood anatomical and stable isotope parameters were integrated to reconstruct and interpret past eco-physiological vine behaviour in response to the change in pruning technique also taking into account the inter-annual environmental variability.The analysis of wood anatomical functional traits linked with carbon stable isotopes of grapevine tree-ring series confirmed that vineyard management technique can severely affect the vine water use, thus affecting plant growth, productivity and ultimately plant ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions.All these interactions and their effects on water use should be taken into account when designing management practices in vineyards for sustainable production.

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Site-level soil moisture controls water-use efficiency improvement and climate response in sugar maple: a dual dendroisotopic study

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/cjfr-2020-0217 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

R. Dietrich ◽

F.W. Bell ◽

M. Anand

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Sugar Maple ◽

Photosynthetic Capacity ◽

Environmental Drivers ◽

Tree Level ◽

Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽

Use Efficiency

Given the large contribution of forests to terrestrial carbon storage, there is a need to resolve the environmental and physiological drivers of tree-level response to rising atmospheric CO2. This study examines how site-level soil moisture influences growth and intrinsic water-use efficiency in sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). We construct tree-ring, δ18O, and Δ13C chronologies for trees across a soil moisture gradient in Ontario, Canada, and employ a structural equation modelling approach to ascertain their climatic, ontogenetic, and environmental drivers. Our results support previous evidence for the presence of strong developmental effects in tree-ring isotopic chronologies — in the range of −4.7‰ for Δ13C and +0.8‰ for δ18O — across the tree life span. Additionally, we show that the physiological response of sugar maple to increasing atmospheric CO2 depends on site-level soil moisture variability, with trees only in relatively wet plots exhibiting temporal increases in intrinsic water-use efficiency. These results suggest that trees in wet and mesic plots have experienced temporal increases in stomatal conductance and photosynthetic capacity, whereas trees in dry plots have experienced decreases in photosynthetic capacity. This study is the first to examine sugar maple physiology using a dendroisotopic approach and broadens our understanding of carbon–water interactions in temperate forests.

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Evidence of changing intrinsic water-use efficiency under rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations in Boreal Fennoscandia from subfossil leaves and tree ring δ13C ratios

Global Change Biology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02273.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 1064-1072 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

MARY GAGEN ◽

WALTER FINSINGER ◽

FRIEDERIKE WAGNER-CREMER ◽

DANNY MCCARROLL ◽

NEIL J. LOADER ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Atmospheric Co2 ◽

Co2 Concentrations ◽

Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Atmospheric Co2 Concentrations

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20th-century changes in carbon isotopes and water-use efficiency: Tree-ring based evaluation of the CLM4.5 and LPX-Bern models

10.5194/bg-2016-515 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Kathrin M. Keller ◽

Sebastian Lienert ◽

Anil Bozbiyik ◽

Thomas F. Stocker ◽

Olga V. Churakova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stomatal Conductance ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

20Th Century ◽

Water Use ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Dynamic Global Vegetation Model ◽

Isotopic Discrimination ◽

Tree Ring Data ◽

Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽

Use Efficiency

Abstract. Measurements of the stable carbon isotope ratio (δ13C) on annual tree rings offer new opportunities to evaluate mechanisms of variations in photosynthesis and stomatal conductance under changing CO2 and climate, especially in conjunction with process-based biogeochemical model simulations. The isotopic discrimination is indicative of the ratio between the CO2 partial pressure in the intercellular cavities and the atmosphere (ci / ca) and of the ratio of assimilation to stomatal conductance, termed intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE). We performed isotope-enabled simulations over the industrial period with the land biosphere module (CLM4.5) of the Community Earth System Model and the LPX-Bern dynamic global vegetation model. Results for C3 tree species show good agreement with a global compilation of δ13C measurements on leaves, though modeled 13C discrimination by C3 trees is smaller in arid regions than measured. A compilation of seventy-six tree-ring records, mainly from Europe, boreal Asia, and western North America, suggest on average small 20th-century changes in isotopic discrimination and an increase in iWUE of about 27 % since 1900. LPX-Bern results match these century-scale reconstructions, supporting the idea that the physiology of stomata has evolved to optimize trade-offs between carbon gain by assimilation and water loss. In contrast, CLM4.5 simulates an increase in discrimination and in turn a change in iWUE that is almost twice as large as revealed by the tree-ring data. Factorial simulations show that these changes are mainly in response to rising atmospheric CO2. The results suggest that the down-regulation of ci / ca and of photosynthesis by nitrogen limitation is possibly too strong in the standard setup of CLM4.5 or there may be more fundamental problems associated with the prescribed relationship between conductance and assimilation.

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Long-term trends in leaf level gas exchange mirror tree-ring derived intrinsic water-use efficiency of Pinus cembra at treeline during the last century

Agricultural and Forest Meteorology ◽

10.1016/j.agrformet.2017.09.023 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 248 ◽

pp. 251-258 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Gerhard Wieser ◽

Walter Oberhuber ◽

Barbara Waldboth ◽

Andreas Gruber ◽

Rainer Matyssek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gas Exchange ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Pinus Cembra ◽

Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽

Leaf Level ◽

Long Term Trends ◽

Use Efficiency

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Drought-Affected Populus simonii Carr. Show Lower Growth and Long-Term Increases in Intrinsic Water-Use Efficiency Prior to Tree Mortality

Forests ◽

10.3390/f9090564 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 564 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Shoujia Sun ◽

Lanfen Qiu ◽

Chunxia He ◽

Chunyou Li ◽

Jinsong Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Ring Width ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Lower Growth ◽

Populus Simonii ◽

Dead Trees ◽

Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽

Use Efficiency

The Three-North Shelter Forest (TNSF) is a critical ecological barrier against sandstorms in northern China, but has shown extensive decline and death in Populus simonii Carr. in the last decade. We investigated the characteristics—tree-ring width, basal area increment (BAI), carbon isotope signature (13Ccor), and intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE)—of now-dead, dieback, and non-dieback trees in TNSF shelterbelts of Zhangbei County. Results from the three groups were compared to understand the long-term process of preceding drought-induced death and to identify potential early-warning proxies of drought-triggered damage. The diameter at breast height (DBH) was found to decrease with the severity of dieback, showing an inverse relationship. In all three groups, both tree-ring width and BAI showed quadratic relationships with age, and peaks earlier in the now-dead and dieback groups than in the non-dieback group. The tree-ring width and BAI became significantly lower in the now-dead and dieback groups than in the non-dieback group from 17 to 26 years before death, thus, these parameters can serve as early-warning signals for future drought-induced death. The now-dead and dieback groups had significantly higher δ13Ccor and iWUEs than the non-dieback group at 7–16 years prior to the mortality, indicating a more conservative water-use strategy under drought stress compared with non-dieback trees, possibly at the cost of canopy defoliation and long-term shoot dieback. The iWUE became significantly higher in the now-dead group than in the dieback group at 0–7 years before death, about 10 years later than the divergence of BAI. After the iWUE became significantly different among the groups, the now-dead trees showed lower growth and died over the next few years. This indicates that, for the TNSF shelterbelts studied, an abrupt iWUE increase can be used as a warning signal for acceleration of impending drought-induced tree death. In general, we found that long-term drought decreased growth and increased iWUE of poplar tree. Successive droughts could drive dieback and now-dead trees to their physiological limits of drought tolerance, potentially leading to decline and mortality episodes.

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Impact of Climate, Stand Growth Parameters, and Management on Isotopic Composition of Tree Rings in Chestnut Coppices

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10121148 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1148 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Francesco Marini ◽

Giovanna Battipaglia ◽

Maria Chiara Manetti ◽

Piermaria Corona ◽

Manuela Romagnoli

Keyword(s):

Isotopic Composition ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Tree Rings ◽

Minimum Temperature ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Δ18o And Δ13c

Research Highlights: Chestnut trees’ (Castanea sativa Mill.) growth and their responses to climate are influenced by stand-characteristics and managements. This study highlighted that chestnut tree-ring growth is not particularly influenced by climate, while minimum temperature showed a positive relation with both intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi) and δ¹8O. Background and Objectives: The aim is to check the responses of chestnut trees to climate conditions and the role of stand structure and management. Materials and Methods: Stands with 12–14-year-old shoots were studied using dendrochronological and isotopic (δ18O and δ13C) approaches. Correlations with climate parameters were investigated and principal component analysis was performed using site-characteristics and tree growth parameters as variables. Results: Correlations between tree-ring width (TRW), tree-ring δ18O, and δ13C-derived intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi) revealed stand-dependent effects. The highest Correlations were found between climate and tree-rings’ isotopic composition. Chestnut was sensitive to high-minimum temperature in March and April, with a negative relationship with TRW and a positive relationship with WUEi. δ18O signals were not significantly different among stands. Stand thinning had a positive effect on WUEi after 1–2 years. Stand competition (indicated by shoots/stump and stumps/ha) positively influenced both WUEi and δ¹8O.

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20th century changes in carbon isotopes and water-use efficiency: tree-ring-based evaluation of the CLM4.5 and LPX-Bern models

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-14-2641-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 (10) ◽

pp. 2641-2673 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Kathrin M. Keller ◽

Sebastian Lienert ◽

Anil Bozbiyik ◽

Thomas F. Stocker ◽

Olga V. Churakova (Sidorova) ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stomatal Conductance ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

20Th Century ◽

Water Use ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Dynamic Global Vegetation Model ◽

Isotopic Discrimination ◽

Tree Ring Data ◽

Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽

Use Efficiency

Abstract. Measurements of the stable carbon isotope ratio (δ13C) on annual tree rings offer new opportunities to evaluate mechanisms of variations in photosynthesis and stomatal conductance under changing CO2 and climate conditions, especially in conjunction with process-based biogeochemical model simulations. The isotopic discrimination is indicative of the ratio between the CO2 partial pressure in the intercellular cavities and the atmosphere (ci∕ca) and of the ratio of assimilation to stomatal conductance, termed intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE). We performed isotope-enabled simulations over the industrial period with the land biosphere module (CLM4.5) of the Community Earth System Model and the Land Surface Processes and Exchanges (LPX-Bern) dynamic global vegetation model. Results for C3 tree species show good agreement with a global compilation of δ13C measurements on leaves, though modeled 13C discrimination by C3 trees is smaller in arid regions than measured. A compilation of 76 tree-ring records, mainly from Europe, boreal Asia, and western North America, suggests on average small 20th century changes in isotopic discrimination and in ci∕ca and an increase in iWUE of about 27 % since 1900. LPX-Bern results match these century-scale reconstructions, supporting the idea that the physiology of stomata has evolved to optimize trade-offs between carbon gain by assimilation and water loss by transpiration. In contrast, CLM4.5 simulates an increase in discrimination and in turn a change in iWUE that is almost twice as large as that revealed by the tree-ring data. Factorial simulations show that these changes are mainly in response to rising atmospheric CO2. The results suggest that the downregulation of ci∕ca and of photosynthesis by nitrogen limitation is possibly too strong in the standard setup of CLM4.5 or that there may be problems associated with the implementation of conductance, assimilation, and related adjustment processes on long-term environmental changes.

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Recent Warming-Induced Tree Growth Enhancement at the Tibetan Treeline and the Link to Improved Water-Use Efficiency

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12121702 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 1702

Author(s):

Xing Pu ◽

Xiaochun Wang ◽

Lixin Lyu

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Tree Growth ◽

High Elevation ◽

Growth Responses ◽

Lower Elevation ◽

Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

High Elevation Forests

Tree growth in high-elevation forests may increase as a result of increasing temperatures and CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere (Ca). However, the pattern and the physiological mechanism on how these two factors interact to affect tree growth are still poorly understood. Here, we analyzed the temporal changes in radial growth and tree-ring δ13C for Picea and Abies trees growing in both treeline and lower-elevation forests on the Tibetan Plateau. We found that the tree growth at the treeline has significantly accelerated during the past several decades but has remained largely stable or slightly declined at lower elevations. Further results based on tree-ring δ13C suggest that intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) was generally higher at the treeline than in lower-elevation forests, although increasing trends of iWUE existed for all sites. This study demonstrated that the synergetic effects of elevated Ca and increasing temperatures have increased tree growth at the treeline but may not lead to enhanced tree growth in lower-elevation forests due to drought stress. These results demonstrate the elevational dependence of tree growth responses to climatic changes in high-elevation forests from a physiologically meaningful perspective.

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