Effect of water stress "memory" on plant behavior during subsequent drought stress

Frequency of extreme drought events are expected to increase due to climate change. Perennials are increasingly exposed to recurrent drought during their life span. The aim of the present work was to study the effect of recurrent droughts on the behavior of Vitis vinifera under water stress. Sangiovese and Montepulciano vines were exposed to severe drought stress for 4 years (WS-S). A dry-down experiment was carried out to compare their behavior with a set of vines kept at 90% field capacity during the whole seasons in the previous 4 years (WW-S). WS-S vines had higher transpiration and stomatal conductance than WW-S vines. Net photosynthesis was almost unaffected by the treatment. Stomatal conductance was higher at more negative Psi(stem) in WS-S vines than in control vines. Leaf petiole percentage loss of hydraulic conductance, measured during water stress, was higher in WS-S than in WW-S vines. Results indicate that previous water stress can lead to less conservative plant strategy toward water loss and decreased water use efficiency. This behavior seems to be coordinated with the different stomatal response to decreasing water potential that caused a reduction of xylem hydraulic safety margin in WS-S vines in comparison with WW-S vines.