Hydric parameters of Cedrela odorata L. cultivated in the semiarid zone of Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico

Abstract

This work was performed in a semi-desert area of the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico, with the aim to characterizing hydrics parameters in Cedrela odorata L. to do this we selected ten trees in a plantation of Cedrela odorata under drip irrigation often every three days, which were analyzed for hydric potential at 5:30, 13:00 and 18:00 hours directly in the field plus leaf samples were collected, stored in the laboratory under conditions of darkness and low temperature (8 °C), were performed and weight measures hydric potential every half hour, with the goal of building pressure-volume curves. The results showed significant differences between the measurements of hydric potential at dawn to noon and sunset, resulting in all cases with high values from -0.9 to -1.2 MPa. The behavior of hydrics parameters obtained from pressure-volume curve indicated high relative water content values in the first measurements, appreciating that as the leaf loses water low water potential, with an exponential trend until the relationship is becomes rectilinear Cedrela odorata indicating that hydrics potentials can drop to -1.62 MPa. Moreover, the average elasticity of the cell wall was low (1.18), indicating that this species develops physiological mechanisms that allow tolerate hydric stress conditions in the Yaqui Valley, proving to be efficient in the use of water.