Abstract
In order to improve temperature and water management in the greenhouse cultivation of Satsuma mandarins, short-term water and carbon balance in intact Satsuma mandarin fruits was studied by measuring fruit expansive growth, CO2 and H2O gas exchange, sap flux into the fruit through the phloem and xylem, and 13C partitioning. Seventy-one days after full bloom, with day/night temperature set at 28°C/23°C and under fine weather conditions, sap flux through the xylem into the fruit showed a dynamic diurnal change which was related to changes of fruit volume. In leaves, 13C partitioning decreased from 11:00 until 23:00, remaining constant thereafter, whereas in fruits, 13C partitioning increased from 11:00 until 23:00, and then remained contrast. Investigating the cumulative water balance, 19% of water output was lost by fruit transpiration, whereas 81% contributed to fruit growth. In cumulative carbon balance, 39% of carbon output was lost by fruit respiration, whereas 61% contributed to fruit growth. Quantitative analyses of physiological responses to environmental conditions, as measured in this study, are essential for establishing energy-saving temperature management strategies.
