Journal
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
Volume 69, Issue 12, Pages 3069-3080Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery118
Keywords
(CO2)-C-13-labelling; carbon assimilation; carbon storage; sink tissues; starch; Vaccinium corymbosum; yield
Categories
Funding
- Innovate UK [102130]
- Agriculture and Horticultural Development Board
- SoilEssentials
- Marks and Spencer
- S&A Produce (UK) Ltd
- Delta-T Devices
- Thomas Thomson (Blairgowrie) Ltd
- Castleton Fruit Farm
- Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services Division of the Scottish Government
- Innovate UK [102130] Funding Source: UKRI
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Published evidence indicates that nearly 60% of blueberry-producing countries experience yield instability. Yield is a complex trait determined by genetic and environmental factors. Here, using physiological and biochemical approaches, we tested the hypothesis that yield instability results from year-to-year environmental variation that limits carbon assimilation, storage and partitioning. The data indicate that fruit development depends primarily on the daily production of non-structural carbohydrates by leaves, and there is no accumulation of a starch buffer to allow continuous ripening under conditions limiting for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis was saturated at moderate light irradiance and this was mainly due to stomatal and biochemical limitations. In a dynamic light environment, photo-synthesis was further limited by slow stomatal response to increasing light. Finally, labelling with (CO2)-C-13 at specific stages of fruit development revealed a relatively even distribution of newly assimilated carbon between stems, roots and fruits, suggesting that the fruit is not a strong sink. We conclude that a significant component of yield variability results from limitations in photosynthetic efficiency that are compounded by an inability to accumulate starch reserves in blueberry storage tissues in a typical northern European environment. This work informs techniques for improving agronomic management and indicates key traits required for yield stability in such environments.
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