Response to freezing and high temperatures of detached cladodes from Opuntia species

CONY, M.A; GUEVARA, J.C.; TRIONE, S.O.; ESTEVEZ, O.R.

Journal of the Professional Association for Cactus Development

Professional Association for Cactus Development

Año: 2008 vol. 10 p. 36 - 48

1938-6648

<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText {margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:ES-AR;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> Extreme temperatures are including among the stress factors than can affect Opuntia species. We experimented with detached cladodes, testing their potentiality to endure the actions of freezing and high temperatures. Cladodes of two provenances of Opuntia ficus-indica L. f. inermis (Web.) Le Houér. and O. spinulifera Salm-Dyck f. nacuniana Le Houér., f. nov. were treated with temperatures of – 5 and – 10 ºC combined with 5 and 10 hours. On the other hand, O. spinulifera and O. robusta Wendl. were treated with temperature of -10 ºC for 18 hours. In other different trial, the last two species were subjected to high temperature (52 ºC) from 3 to 26 days. Each experiment followed a completely randomized design with four replications comprising four cladodes each. At the end of each treatment, cladodes were planted in pots and growing under field condition during 8-9 months. Response to extreme temperatures treatments was evaluated through the number and the dry weight of cladodes produced per plant. Under freezing treatments, although some differences in frost tolerance were found among species, they showed to be tolerant to temperature of -10 ºC for 10 hours. O. robusta and O. spinulifera resisted -10 º C for 18 hours and appear to be the most tolerant species to freezing treatments. Cladodes of O. spinulifera and O. robusta from heat-stress treatment were not affected when they were exposed to continuous heat (52 ± 2 ºC) for 5 days. Cladodes under more than 8-day heat treatment lost completely the capacity to sprout under field conditions.   Keywords: Opuntia´s cladodes; cold and hot stresses; simulated frost and hot; yield after stress