4.5 Article

Spring stomatal response to vapor pressure deficit as a marker for desert truffle fruiting

Journal

MYCORRHIZA
Volume 30, Issue 4, Pages 503-512

Publisher

SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s00572-020-00966-8

Keywords

Ectendomycorrhiza; Desert truffle; Terfezia; Spring phenology; Vapor pressure deficit (VPD); Stomatal conductance

Funding

  1. AEI/FEDER, UE [CGL2016-78946-R]
  2. Fundacion Seneca-Agencia de Ciencia y Tecnologia de la Region de Murcia [20866/PI/18]
  3. Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) [IJCI-2016-28252, DI-14-06904]

Ask authors/readers for more resources

The cultivation of desert truffleTerfezia claveryiusingHelianthemum almerienseas a host plant has recently become a solid alternative crop in the Mediterranean region due to its adaptation to arid and semiarid ecosystems, which are expected to increase during the following years because of climate change. However, management models are still being developed in order to improve and stabilize the production, which varies greatly from one year to another. According to gatherers and farmers, one of the key factors for desert truffle production is the plant phenology in spring, which, in turn, depends on environmental conditions. In this manuscript, we have characterized the physiological, morphological, and molecular responses of the mycorrhizal plants in spring, coinciding with the fructification period of the plant and fungal species. Thanks to this characterization, a sigmoidal relationship between stomatal conductance and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was found, which can be used as a marker of plant phenological switch. In order to confirm that this phenology status is related to desert truffle fructification, this marker has been successfully correlated to total truffle production. The results of this manuscript suppose a big step forward that will help to develop management models for the desert truffle crop.

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