Interaction among species, time-of-day, and soil water potential on biochemical and physiological characteristics of cladodes of Opuntia

• Published in: Plant physiology and biochemistry Vol. 162; pp. 185 - 195
• Main Authors: López Navarrete, María Consepsión, Peña-Valdivia, Cecilia Beatriz, Trejo, Carlos, Padilla Chacón, Daniel, García N, Rodolfo, Martínez B, Eleazar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France Elsevier Masson SAS 01.05.2021
• Subjects: Biochemistry; Free amino acids; Invertase activity; Opuntia; Phenols; Physiology; Plant Extracts; Soil; Soluble proteins; Soluble sugars; Starch; Water; Soluble proteins; Free amino acids; Invertase activity; Starch; Biochemistry; Physiology; CAM; Soluble sugars; ΨW
• ISSN: 0981-9428; 1873-2690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2021.02.044

The physiology and biochemistry of young Opuntia spp. cladodes relate with their Crassulacean acid metabolism, which extends over the day-night cycle in four phases, is species-dependent and is affected by water availability. This study aimed to assess the interaction among species, time-of-day, and the soil water potential (ΨW) on biochemical and physiological characteristics of cladodes of Opuntia species. Three-week-old cladodes were harvested at 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. from plants with or without irrigation for 30 d (−0.17 and −5.72 MPa soil ΨW), from O. albicarpa, O. ficus-indica, O. hyptiacantha, O. megacantha, and O. streptacantha. The experimental design was a factorial 5 x 2 x 2 (species, sampling time and soil ΨW). The experimental unit was one cladode per plant, and six repetitions were evaluated. Total acids, glucose, fructose, sucrose, starch, total phenolics, free amino acids, and soluble proteins concentrations were evaluated, as well as acid invertase and neutral invertase activities. The interaction among species x soil ΨW and species x time of the day was significant (P ≤ 0.05) in all variables evaluated. An exception was the species x soil ΨW on starch concentration (P = 0.1827). The biochemical and physiological characteristics of Opuntia cladodes were modified by the time of the day and soil ΨW interaction, but most of the characteristics were positively or inversely affected depending on the species, frequently displaying a descending trend following O. streptacantha, O. hyptiacantha, O. megacantha, O. albicarpa and O. ficus-indica. The total acids, glucose, fructose, starch, soluble proteins, and free amino acids concentrations revealed that domestication significantly modifies C and N metabolism in Opuntia. •The complex domestication process is only incipiently known and has been studied in a small subset of crops.•Extreme environment stimulates physiological and biochemical characteristics in the genus Opuntia related to domestication.•Physiology and biochemistry of Opuntia cladodes depend on the interaction of species, domestication, CAM phase, and watering.•Total acids, sugars, proteins, and free amino acids revealed that domestication modify C and N metabolism in genus Opuntia.