Physiological Responses of Gold Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) to Reduced Irrigation

Information on water relations and water stress physiology of Actinidia chinensis Planch. is scant. We aimed at providing such information by exposing potted 1-year-old plants to reduced irrigation in a glasshouse. The treatments were control (C) receiving sufficient water to replace 100% of evapotranspiration, early (E) reduced irrigation for 13 days earlier in the experiment, late (L) reduced irrigation for 13 days later in the experiment, and recovery (R) undergoing E and L with 5 days of full irrigation in between to recover from E. All plants were fully watered between early and late episodes of reduced irrigation. Soil volumetric water content was lower in E, L, and R compared with C, leading to lower leaf water potential, photosynthetic rate (Pn), and stomatal conductance (gs). Pn was lower in the reduced irrigation vines only when g(s) was below 0.1 mol·m–2·s–1. High leaf temperature in the glasshouse imposed nonstomatal limitations to photosynthesis as indicated by elevated internal leaf CO2 concentrations (C(i)). Following rewatering, the stressed vines showed rapid recovery of leaf water potential and photosynthesis. However, C(i) and g(s) were slower to respond. There was an indication of osmotic adjustment in leaves under reduced irrigation. Discrimination against 13CO2 was the same among the treatments. A. chinensis had better stomatal control under water stress compared with Actinidia deliciosa, for which some information is available. Water stress history in A. chinensis encouraged more drought resistance in the subsequent water stress period, but this was not sustained. Although field performance of A. chinensis under water stress is expected to be better than what we have presented here, long periods of deficit irrigation for this species cannot be recommended.