Kaolin and seaweed-based extracts can be used as middle and long-term strategy to mitigate negative effects of climate change in physiological performance of hazelnut tree

Spraying plants with exogenous substances have gained more attention due to its potential to reduce the negative impacts of heat and water stress in a climate-changing environment. Therefore, the effects of spraying kaolin and Ascophyllum nodosum with and without irrigation on leaf gas exchange parameters, plant water status, electrolyte leakage, cuticular waxes, plant hormones and antioxidant enzymes, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and lipid peroxidation of membranes of hazelnut trees were studied. Six different treatments with kaolin (K), A. nodosum (An), irrigation (I), kaolin with irrigation (Ki), A. nodosum with irrigation (Ani) and no irrigation (control) during two consecutive years (2016-2017) were applied in a hazelnut orchard of 'Grada de Viseu' cultivar located in Moimenta da Beira region, Northern Portugal. Results showed that K and An were effective for reducing hazelnut heat and drought stress by increasing the water relative content (RWC), net CO2 assimilation (A), water use efficiency (A/g(s)) and reducing the leaf mass per area (LMA), electrolyte leakage (EL). Moreover, concentration of ABA, MDA, proline and lipid peroxidation of membranes, as well the average content of antioxidant enzymes, was lower, suggesting that under K and An, plants have a better physiological performance than without these two exogenous substances. Nonetheless, these benefits only appear to be significant in the second year of the experiment showing that the use of both substances to mitigate climate change adverse effects should be considered as a long-term strategy.