Production of micro-cuttings from acorns to test the plasticity of response to contrasting soil water regimes
Résumé
We collected acorns from selected Quercus
robur and Quercus petraea mother trees growing at stations
with different depths to the water table. We produced
pairs of micro-cuttings from these single acorns. The
obtained pairs of cuttings represented phenotypes of high
similarity according to photosynthetic parameters. These
pairs of cuttings were used to test the plasticity of response
to contrasting water regimes. For each pair, one cutting was
submitted to drought and the other was submitted to
waterlogging. Drought response was recorded according to
gas exchange traits (stomatal closure and water use efficiency).
The response to waterlogging was recorded
according to the capacity to form hypertrophied lenticels
and to maintain the CO2 assimilation rate. Intermediary
phenotypes presenting both high water use efficiency and
the capacity to develop hypertrophied lenticels were
expected.