TY - JOUR

T1 - Effect of temperature and osmotic stress during somatic embryogenesis on phenology and physiology of abies nordmanniana emblings

AU - Lobo, Albin

AU - Iver Find, Jens

AU - Kehlet Hansen, Jon

AU - Ræbild, Anders

AU - Dahl Kjær, Erik

N1 - Funding Information: G.B Hartmanns Familiefond (proj. 2017-Epigenetisk regulering af t?rketolerance i Nordmannsgran) and Villum Foundation's Trees for future (VKR-023063) supported this study. We would like to thank the Danish Nature Agency for the establishment of the field trial. The authors also express their gratitude towards Lisbeth Hansen and E. Bihrmann for their helps with somatic embryogenesis in the project. We also thank two anonymous reviewers who provided valuable comments to the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s)

PY - 2022/6/15

Y1 - 2022/6/15

N2 - Epigenetic modification induced during embryogenesis can serve as a mechanism for rapid adaptation of plants to climate change, especially for long living organisms such as trees. Here, we test if temperature and osmotic stress during embryogenesis influences spring and autumn phenology, photosynthesis rate, growth and water stress tolerance in Abies nordmanniana. Somatic embryogenic plants (emblings) were developed under different temperatures to test if temperature influences the spring phenology. Our results show that 9 °C higher temperature during somatic embryogenesis advanced budburst by an average of 4 days, but with significant differences among different genotypes in their response. This reveals genetic variation in the observed phenological response to temperature during somatic embryogenesis. However, we did not observe an effect of differences in osmotic stress during somatic embryogenesis on the response of the emblings to water stress. Optimum temperatures for photosynthesis and maximal photosynthetic rates were not found to be influenced by the temperature during somatic embryogenesis. Both height and autumn senescence were significantly different among the genotypes, but the temperature during somatic embryogenesis did not affect these traits. The observed responses in our study complement findings from other species and support that epigenetic modification in phenology may help the species to cope with fluctuations in temperatures in future climate, and may have practical applications for reducing spring frost risk in plantations of the species.

AB - Epigenetic modification induced during embryogenesis can serve as a mechanism for rapid adaptation of plants to climate change, especially for long living organisms such as trees. Here, we test if temperature and osmotic stress during embryogenesis influences spring and autumn phenology, photosynthesis rate, growth and water stress tolerance in Abies nordmanniana. Somatic embryogenic plants (emblings) were developed under different temperatures to test if temperature influences the spring phenology. Our results show that 9 °C higher temperature during somatic embryogenesis advanced budburst by an average of 4 days, but with significant differences among different genotypes in their response. This reveals genetic variation in the observed phenological response to temperature during somatic embryogenesis. However, we did not observe an effect of differences in osmotic stress during somatic embryogenesis on the response of the emblings to water stress. Optimum temperatures for photosynthesis and maximal photosynthetic rates were not found to be influenced by the temperature during somatic embryogenesis. Both height and autumn senescence were significantly different among the genotypes, but the temperature during somatic embryogenesis did not affect these traits. The observed responses in our study complement findings from other species and support that epigenetic modification in phenology may help the species to cope with fluctuations in temperatures in future climate, and may have practical applications for reducing spring frost risk in plantations of the species.

KW - Climate change adaptation

KW - Epigenetics

KW - Phenology

KW - Photosynthesis

KW - Somatic embryogenesis

KW - Water stress

U2 - 10.1016/j.foreco.2022.120212

DO - 10.1016/j.foreco.2022.120212

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85127822685

VL - 514

JO - Forest Ecology and Management

JF - Forest Ecology and Management

SN - 0378-1127

M1 - 120212

ER -