Physiological, biochemical and elemental responses of grafted grapevines under drought stress: insights into tolerance mechanisms

Abstract The selection of appropriate grapevine grafts and optimizing irrigation practices for enhancing water use efficiency are critical for viticulture production in the arid regions of UAE, apart from mitigating the effects of changing environmental conditions. Extremely high arid temperatures l...

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Main Authors: Sonu Krishankumar, Jacobus J. Hunter, Mohammed Alyafei, Fathalla Hamed, Sreeramanan Subramaniam, Ayyagari Ramlal, Shyam S. Kurup, Khaled M. A. Amiri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-03-01
Series:BMC Plant Biology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06374-4
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author Sonu Krishankumar
Jacobus J. Hunter
Mohammed Alyafei
Fathalla Hamed
Sreeramanan Subramaniam
Ayyagari Ramlal
Shyam S. Kurup
Khaled M. A. Amiri
author_facet Sonu Krishankumar
Jacobus J. Hunter
Mohammed Alyafei
Fathalla Hamed
Sreeramanan Subramaniam
Ayyagari Ramlal
Shyam S. Kurup
Khaled M. A. Amiri
author_sort Sonu Krishankumar
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The selection of appropriate grapevine grafts and optimizing irrigation practices for enhancing water use efficiency are critical for viticulture production in the arid regions of UAE, apart from mitigating the effects of changing environmental conditions. Extremely high arid temperatures leading to depleted soil moisture status limit grape production in the country. In order to streamline the production, it is imperative to focus on specific objectives of screening drought-tolerant grafts utilizing several laboratory analytical tools and irrigation management. Five grapevine cultivar-rootstock combinations were evaluated in an open field experiment under induced drought conditions by regulating irrigation at 100%, 75% and 50% field capacity (FC) in an arid region. The net photosynthetic rate increased in Flame Seedless $$\:\times\:$$ Ramsey (V1), Thompson Seedless $$\:\times\:$$ Ramsey (V2), and Crimson Seedless $$\:\times\:$$ R110 (V3) at 50% FC. Stomatal conductance was reduced in V1, V3, Crimson Seedless $$\:\times\:$$ Ramsey (V4) and Thompson Seedless x P1103 (V5) at 50% FC. Intercellular CO2 and transpiration rates were significantly reduced at 50% FC. Water use efficiency, calculated as Pn/gs ratio to relate photosynthesis to stomatal closure, was elevated in all the grafts at 75% FC and 50% FC compared to the control (100% FC). The relative water content (RWC) showed a declining trend in all the grafts with reduced water supply. Nevertheless, the V1 and V4 grafts exhibited the highest RWC at an FC of 50%. The V2 graft produced the highest total dry mass and fresh biomass compared to other grafts. The Chl a content decreased, but the Chl b content increased at 50% FC in V2. Lutein significantly decreased for V1, while V3 showed an increase at 50% FC. The N, P and K contents in all the grafts, except V3, showed an increasing trend at 50% FC. The scanning electron microscopy observations point to the strong responses of stomatal behaviour upon changes in irrigation, thus facilitating the drought tolerance of the grafts. The findings emphasize the importance of selecting drought-tolerant grapevine grafts, and our study results could serve as guideposts for developing sustainable viticulture in arid regions, providing valuable insights for future research and practical applications in grape production. Graphical Abstract
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spelling doaj-art-c7c2a2f63d7743fc82ae0b09f09d2a482025-08-20T03:40:44ZengBMCBMC Plant Biology1471-22292025-03-0125112110.1186/s12870-025-06374-4Physiological, biochemical and elemental responses of grafted grapevines under drought stress: insights into tolerance mechanismsSonu Krishankumar0Jacobus J. Hunter1Mohammed Alyafei2Fathalla Hamed3Sreeramanan Subramaniam4Ayyagari Ramlal5Shyam S. Kurup6Khaled M. A. Amiri7Integrative Agriculture Department, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, UAE University (UAEU)ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, Agricultural Research CouncilIntegrative Agriculture Department, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, UAE University (UAEU)Department of Physics, College of Science, UAE University (UAEU)School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)Integrative Agriculture Department, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, UAE University (UAEU)Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, UAE University (UAEU)Abstract The selection of appropriate grapevine grafts and optimizing irrigation practices for enhancing water use efficiency are critical for viticulture production in the arid regions of UAE, apart from mitigating the effects of changing environmental conditions. Extremely high arid temperatures leading to depleted soil moisture status limit grape production in the country. In order to streamline the production, it is imperative to focus on specific objectives of screening drought-tolerant grafts utilizing several laboratory analytical tools and irrigation management. Five grapevine cultivar-rootstock combinations were evaluated in an open field experiment under induced drought conditions by regulating irrigation at 100%, 75% and 50% field capacity (FC) in an arid region. The net photosynthetic rate increased in Flame Seedless $$\:\times\:$$ Ramsey (V1), Thompson Seedless $$\:\times\:$$ Ramsey (V2), and Crimson Seedless $$\:\times\:$$ R110 (V3) at 50% FC. Stomatal conductance was reduced in V1, V3, Crimson Seedless $$\:\times\:$$ Ramsey (V4) and Thompson Seedless x P1103 (V5) at 50% FC. Intercellular CO2 and transpiration rates were significantly reduced at 50% FC. Water use efficiency, calculated as Pn/gs ratio to relate photosynthesis to stomatal closure, was elevated in all the grafts at 75% FC and 50% FC compared to the control (100% FC). The relative water content (RWC) showed a declining trend in all the grafts with reduced water supply. Nevertheless, the V1 and V4 grafts exhibited the highest RWC at an FC of 50%. The V2 graft produced the highest total dry mass and fresh biomass compared to other grafts. The Chl a content decreased, but the Chl b content increased at 50% FC in V2. Lutein significantly decreased for V1, while V3 showed an increase at 50% FC. The N, P and K contents in all the grafts, except V3, showed an increasing trend at 50% FC. The scanning electron microscopy observations point to the strong responses of stomatal behaviour upon changes in irrigation, thus facilitating the drought tolerance of the grafts. The findings emphasize the importance of selecting drought-tolerant grapevine grafts, and our study results could serve as guideposts for developing sustainable viticulture in arid regions, providing valuable insights for future research and practical applications in grape production. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06374-4DroughtIrrigationElementsGrafted grapevinePigmentsSEM
spellingShingle Sonu Krishankumar
Jacobus J. Hunter
Mohammed Alyafei
Fathalla Hamed
Sreeramanan Subramaniam
Ayyagari Ramlal
Shyam S. Kurup
Khaled M. A. Amiri
Physiological, biochemical and elemental responses of grafted grapevines under drought stress: insights into tolerance mechanisms
BMC Plant Biology
Drought
Irrigation
Elements
Grafted grapevine
Pigments
SEM
title Physiological, biochemical and elemental responses of grafted grapevines under drought stress: insights into tolerance mechanisms
title_full Physiological, biochemical and elemental responses of grafted grapevines under drought stress: insights into tolerance mechanisms
title_fullStr Physiological, biochemical and elemental responses of grafted grapevines under drought stress: insights into tolerance mechanisms
title_full_unstemmed Physiological, biochemical and elemental responses of grafted grapevines under drought stress: insights into tolerance mechanisms
title_short Physiological, biochemical and elemental responses of grafted grapevines under drought stress: insights into tolerance mechanisms
title_sort physiological biochemical and elemental responses of grafted grapevines under drought stress insights into tolerance mechanisms
topic Drought
Irrigation
Elements
Grafted grapevine
Pigments
SEM
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06374-4
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