Water relations of coffee leaves(Coffea arabicaandC. canephora)in response to drought

Abstract

Coffee plants of five Arabica and one Canephora genotypes were raised in containers with 0.02 nr1 of soil, under a clear plastic shelter. When they were 18 months old, irrigation was withheld until the first signs of wilting appeared. This occurred four to five days after withholding irrigation, when the pre-dawn water potential of young fully expanded leaves of the plagiotropic branches was about -2.4 MPa. Control plants remained under daily irrigation. The pressure-volume technique was used to estimate volume averaged water relations properties of sample leaves. The turgor loss point was approximately -1.6 MPa for control plants and -2.0 MPa for stressed plants, an osmotic adjustment of approximately 22%. The Canephora genotype showed a slightly higher adjustment. The relative water content at the turgor loss point remained at approximately 93%, irrespective of genotype or treatment. The maximum bulk modulus of elasticity did not change significantly with water deficit, remaining at about 24 MPa, except for a slight increase in the Canephora genotype. The specific leaf area of the Arabica genotypes decreased about 20%, as compared with a 10% decrease for the Canephora genotype.