Physiological, morphological and growth responses of mango trees to flooding.
Larson K. D., Schaffer B., Davies F. S.
Author Affiliation: South Coast Research and Extension Centre, University of California, 7601 Irvine Boulevard, 32611 Irvine, CA 92718, USA.
: 152-159
Abstract : The effect of flooding on leaf gas exchange, vegetative growth and stem lenticel hypertrophy of field-grown mango cv. Tommy Atkins, trees grafted on 2 rootstocks (cv. Turpentine and an unknown seedling type) and of container-grown cv. Peach trees were investigated in 4 experiments. Flooding reduced net CO2 assimilation (A) and stomatal conductance (gs) and increased substomatal CO2 concentration (Ci) within 2-3 days. After 14 days' flooding, it took ~2 months for net gas exchange to recover to what it was before flooding. Root growth was reduced by flooding. Mortality ranged from zero to 45% depending on the rootstock-scion combination. Survival under flooded conditions appeared to be related to the tree's ability to form hypertrophied stem lenticels; without these lenticels, trees died shortly after flooding. Lenticel formation was temperature dependent, with none formed at 15°, formation within 6 days at 22.5° and within 5 days at 30°. The lenticels also developed more rapidly when the O2 content of the floodwater was low (1-7 p.p.m.) than when it was higher (13-15 p.p.m.). It was concluded that mangoes show some adaptation to flooded soil conditions but are not completely tolerant.