Turgor Maintenance in Rosa rugosa Grown at Three Levels of Nitrogen and Subjected to Drought

Abstract

The influence of N fertilization on turgor maintenance was determined in leaves from well-watered and droughted Rosa rugosa L. Plants were fertilized for 60 days with a complete fertilizer with N at levels of 0, 200 or 500 ppm and then subjected to several drought cycles for 22 days. Plants receivmg no N were stunted and chlorotic, but had the greatest full saturation turgor pressure and symplastic osmolality, and the lowest full saturation osmotic potential, after drought. These plants also maintained higher turgor across a range of leaf water potentials and relative water contents. Leaf water content at full turgor and relative water content at the turgor loss point were also lower in plants without N. N treatments of 200 and 500 ppm had similar water relations under both well-watered and drought conditions.