No abstract

Background and Aims There is evidence that some species can withstand a stress event better when experienced previously. This capacity could help to increase stress tolerance and resilience under recurrent stresses. To test the effect of a previous season drought imprint on the tolerance to a subsequent drought event, we compared the growth and physiological performance of young cv. Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines growing in a semi‐arid zone in Chile. Methods and Results Treatments were single drought (SD; stressed during the second season) and double drought (DD; stressed during the first and second season). During the second season, DD vines budburst earlier, and leaves were smaller. During the drought period, DD showed a higher rate of photosynthesis despite a similar reduction in the stem water potential and stomatal conductance compared to that of SD. Such difference was associated to a higher maximum Rubisco carboxylation rate observed in DD. Conclusions Our results suggest that grapevines exposed to drought are primed for an upcoming second drought event, the priming lasting from one season to the next, involving contrasting growth and physiological performance. Significance of the Study Our study results contribute information to the emerging debate regarding drought‐priming effects on the tolerance of grapevines to recurrent drought events.

A study was carried out to evaluate the effect of rain protective covers on the vegetative and reproductive development and fruit quality of sweet cherry trees. The trial was conducted in the 2010-2011 season in a commercial orchard in Collipulli, Chile, with gabled (Vöen ®) crop covers on 10 rows. In half of each row, trees were protected with rain covers from bud-burst, and the other half was protected from first red colour development of the fruit onwards; a treatment without protective rain cover served as control. The following variables were assessed: temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, phenology, intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR), fruit development, foliar area, flower bud differentiation, fruit set, vegetative growth and fruit quality at harvest and after conventional cold storage were measured. The protective covering filtered approximately 40% of incident PAR. Crop cover at budburst advanced tree phenology and increased shoot length. Fruits of cherry trees protected during the colour development phase showed less colour. Protective covering installed at bud-burst increased fruit size, weight and soluble solids concentration, but with more cracking at the style-end scar of the fruit and with reduced fruit firmness. Flower bud differentiation was advanced by both treatments.