Carbohydrate Partitioning and Vegetative Growth of Citrus Nursery Trees Influenced by Varying Photoperiods Under LED Lighting

• Published in: Horticulture journal 2022, Vol.91(4), pp.467-475
• Main Authors: Singh, Hardeep, Khezri, Masood, Bushoven, John, Benes, Sharon, Hadavi, Faranak, Brar, Gurreet
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbohydrates; Chambers; Citrus fruits; Citrus trees; Daylength; Diaphorina citri; Fruit trees; Fruits; Growth chambers; Insects; Light emitting diodes; Light intensity; Lighting; Luminous intensity; Mandarins; Night; Nurseries; Partitioning; Photoperiods; Photosynthesis; Plant bacterial diseases; Plant growth; Propagation; Reserves; Roots; Scions; starch; sugar; Translocation; Trees
• ISSN: 2189-0102; 2189-0110
• DOI: 10.2503/hortj.UTD-379

Citrus nursery trees in California must be grown in insect exclusion facilities to protect them against Huanglongbing (HLB), a deadly disease caused by Candidatus liberibacter spp. and spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri). Faster year-round propagation is critical for citrus nurseries to offset their investment in new exclusion facilities, but nurseries currently face serious problems in terms of poor bud push and slow scion growth in fall-budded, container-grown trees. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of supplemental LED lighting techniques on the photosynthesis and total non-structural carbohydrate (TNC) partitioning within citrus trees that is responsible for growth cessation during the fall. A total of 72 trees of Carrizo citrange rootstock with and without Clementine Mandarin scions, were placed in growth chambers during four photoperiods: T1, 10 h LED + 4 h extension of day length (EoD, 10 μmol·m−2·s−1); T2, 10 h LED with 1 h supplemental night interruption (NI); T3, 10 h LED with 10 h supplemental far-red (FR) lighting; and T4, controls (10 h LED). The LED light spectrum was adjusted to 90 red and 10 blue ratios. The trees were grown in the growth chambers at 21/13°C day/night temperatures and 80% RH for 12 weeks. Trees were harvested and separated into leaves, stems, and roots at the end of the experiment. Different tissues were oven dried, ground and analyzed for TNC. The results showed that NI and EoD resulted in significantly higher plant growth. Both NI and EoD allowed trees to accumulate lower levels of carbohydrates in the root system, thereby decreasing the root: shoot ratio. NI and EoD trees had lower root: shoot ratios for TNC than control and FR trees in both budded and unbudded trees, suggesting the storage of reserves in roots can be enhanced during shorter day length. Results also showed that NI and EoD photoperiods triggered phytochrome with low light intensity, which in turn induced a long day effect and further translocation of reserves from roots to aboveground parts to improve vegetative growth.