Water Wise

Effects of Water Availability on Leaf Trichome Density and Plant Growth and Development of Shepherdia ×utahensis

“…In this study, S. ×utahensis produced smaller leaves under water stress ( Table 3 ) and leaf size of plants grown at the substrate volumetric water content of 0.05 m 3 ·m −3 was 51% smaller than those at 0.40 m 3 ·m −3 . This result is in line with previous studies that consistently reported reductions in leaf size under water stress for drought-tolerant ornamental plants ( Mee et al, 2003 ; Zollinger et al, 2006 ). For instance, Zollinger et al (2006) suggested that small leaves allow Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender) and Penstemon ×mexicali ‘Red Rocks’ (‘Red Rocks’ penstemon) to reduce water loss when irrigation intervals were increased from 1 week to 4 weeks.…”

“…Hotter and drier climates globally, coupled with periodic drought, often necessitate large quantities of irrigation water to maintain visual quality, growth, and development of landscape plants ( Mee et al, 2003 ). Approximately 60–90% of household water is used for urban landscape irrigation in the western United States ( Sovocool et al, 2006 ; Center for Water-Efficient Landscaping, 2020 ; Arizona Department of Water Resources, 2022 ).…”

“…Plant acclimation involves changes in morphology and physiology without genetic modification ( Taiz et al, 2015 ). Under drought conditions, plants may acclimate to drought by decreasing water loss and reducing heat load and leaf temperature ( Mee et al, 2003 ). Root growth may be promoted to increase water uptake, leading to a greater root-to-shoot ratio ( Ahluwalia et al, 2021 ).…”

“…For example, small leaves are advantageous for increasing sensible heat loss. The leaves of native plants in the western United States, such as Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush) and Cercocarpus montanus (alder leaf mountain mahogany), are less than 2.5 cm wide, helping to reduce plant heat load more efficiently ( Mee et al, 2003 ). Leigh et al (2017) reported that plants in hot and dry environments of Australia, such as Banksia grandis (bull banksia), Grevillea agrifolia (blue grevillea), and Telopea speciosissima (waratah) have leaves covered by dense trichomes and vertical leaf orientation, which reduces the interception of solar radiation.…”

“…Shepherdia ×utahensis ‘Torrey’ (hybrid buffaloberry) is an interspecific hybrid between Shepherdia argentea (silver buffaloberry) and Shepherdia roundifolia (roundleaf buffaloberry). Shepherdia argentea tolerates a wide range of growing conditions from wet to dry soil ( Mee et al, 2003 ), while S. roundifolia is extremely resistant to hot and arid conditions ( Sriladda et al, 2016 ). Xeric S. roundifolia has denser leaf trichomes as compared to riparian S. argentea ( Sriladda et al, 2016 ), which indicates trichome density of Shepherdia species may be influenced by water availability.…”