JXB Advance Access published online on November 23, 2007
Journal of Experimental Botany, doi:10.1093/jxb/erm248
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© 2007 The Author(s).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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RESEARCH PAPER |
Vascular flows and transpiration affect peach (Prunus persica Batsch.) fruit daily growth
1Dipartimento Colture Arboree, University of Bologna, V. le Fanin 46, 40127 Bologna, Italy
2College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, PO Box 110270, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: bmorandi{at}agrsci.unibo.it
The relative contributions of xylem, phloem, and transpiration to fruit growth and the daily patterns of their flows have been determined in peach, during the two stages of rapid diameter increase, by precise and continuous monitoring of fruit diameter variations. Xylem, phloem, and transpiration contributions to growth were quantified by comparing the diurnal patterns of diameter change of fruits, which were then girdled and subsequently detached. Xylem supports peach growth by 70%, and phloem 30%, while transpiration accounts for 
60% of daily total inflows. These figures and their diurnal patterns were comparable among years, stages, and cultivars. Xylem was functional at both stage I and III, while fruit transpiration was high and strictly dependent on environmental conditions, causing periods of fruit shrinkage. Phloem imports were correlated to fruit shrinkage and appear to facilitate subsequent fruit enlargement. Peach displays a growth mechanism which can be explained on the basis of passive unloading of photoassimilates from the phloem. A pivotal role is played by the large amount of water flowing from the tree to the fruit and from the fruit to the atmosphere.
Key words: Fruit growth, fruit transpiration, peach, phloem, xylem
Received 13 October 2006; Revised 7 September 2007 Accepted 17 September 2007
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