Exogenous Application of Glycine Betaine on Sweet Cherry Tree (Prunus avium L.): Effects on Tree Physiology and Leaf Properties

Marta Serapicos; Sílvia Afonso; Berta Gonçalves; Ana Paula Silva

doi:10.3390/plants11243470

Exogenous Application of Glycine Betaine on Sweet Cherry Tree (Prunus avium L.): Effects on Tree Physiology and Leaf Properties

Plants (Basel). 2022 Dec 11;11(24):3470. doi: 10.3390/plants11243470.

Authors

Marta Serapicos¹, Sílvia Afonso², Berta Gonçalves^{2

3}, Ana Paula Silva^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agronomy, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
² Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-Food Production (Inov4Agro), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
³ Department of Biology and Environment, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.

Abstract

Biostimulants, such as glycine betaine (GB), are a sustainable way to boost productivity and quality in fruit crops, even in adverse environment conditions. Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is an important crop, which is very sensitive to abiotic stress. Known primarily for its fruits, its leaves are also rich in bioactive substances, which, however, still have no commercial value. There are no studies about the effects of GB exogenous application on biochemical parameters of sweet cherry leaves and few studies about effects in sweet cherry tree physiology. This study was conducted in a Portuguese sweet cherry commercial orchard. Lapins sweet cherry trees were treated with a commercial product based on GB, at two different concentrations (0.25% and 0.40%). The applications were performed at three different phenological stages, according to the BBCH (Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie) scale: 77, 81 and 86 BBCH. Both GB treatments improved leaf water status, photosynthetic pigments, soluble solids content, total phenolic contents, and antioxidant activity, resulting in better leaf water status regulation, greater photosynthetic capacity, and higher antioxidant activity. These results shows that GB can benefit sweet cherry tree physiology and provide new opportunities for sweet cherry leaves valorisation.

Keywords: biostimulants; glycine betaine; leaf compounds; plant physiology; sweet cherry.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by “Fundo Europeu Agrícola de Desenvolvimento Rural (FEADER)” and by “Estado Português” in the context of “Ação 1.1 «Grupos Operacionais»”, integrated in “Medida 1. «Inovação» do PDR 2020-Programa de Desenvolvimento Rural do Continente—Grupo Operacional para a valorização da produção da Cereja de Resende e posicionamento da subfileira nos mercados (iniciativa no. 362)”. This work was supported by National Funds by FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UIDB/04033/2020.