Water-use efficiency in trees : techniques, scales and diversity

Water-use efficiency is an important functional trait that can be defined at very different temporal and spatial scales in trees as well as in crops. Transpiration efficiency (TE) is usually defined at tree or even stand level as the ratio between transpired water and accumulated biomass. Intrinsic water-use efficiency (Wi) is defined at instant leaf scale as the ratio net CO2 assimilation rate vs. stomatal conductance (A/gs). Wi is usually estimated by isotopic discrimination against 13CO2 during photosynthesis (Delta). Delta can be measured at the instantaneous time-scale on-line with new spectroscopic techniques, but is usually recorded from the isotopic composition of different metabolic pools (bulk leaf matter, soluble sugars, cellulose in leaves and wood). Delta is a plastic trait and is therefore largely used as an index for short term (interannual) changes in water availability and for climate constraints. Delta is also under tight genetic control in trees like in many other species and shows a large diversity. This was shown for populations from different origins, within populations on ecological clines, and among clones. Furthermore, quantitative genetics approaches identified a few highly significant QTLs for Delta in full-sib offsprings of oaks, maritime pine, chestnut and poplars, and thus identified a small number of genomic regions that are active in the control of Delta. The range of genotypic values identified in these approaches encompasses up to 3-4 ‰, which would translate into 30-50% difference in intrinsic water-use efficiency. Due to technical difficulties, much less evidence is available about the genetic control of Wi and of TE. Moreover, the parameters of the model relating Delta to Wi may also display some degree of genotypic variability, and the suitability of Delta as an index for Wi has been questioned. In this presentation, some evidence will be produced in support for the tight correlation between Delta and Wi in support of the use of Delta as a screening tool for Wi and even TE. Based on the accumulated data demonstrating the large diversity of Wi as well as the tight genetic control over this trait, a few research perspectives will be identified and discussed