Hadas Gerbi - Department of Forestry and Natural Recourses, Purdue University, IN, USA.

Water availability is becoming a limiting factor with increasing world population that challenges global food security. Thus, we need to enhance cultivation in increasingly drier and hotter climate and prepare fruit trees for the ongoing climate change. Wild tree species might offer vital information and plant material in face of these challenges.

A year-long comparative field study was conducted to investigate the mechanisms underlying drought tolerance in pear species (cultivated Pyrus communis and Pyrus pyrifolia vs. the wild Pyrus syriaca).

We confirmed the hypothesis of higher drought tolerance in wild pear compared to its cultivated relative. P. syriaca xylem had fewer, narrower vessels, and lower vulnerability to embolism. It showed higher intrinsic water-sue efficiency and more robust seasonal patterns of photosynthesis, hydraulic conductivity, and PIP (plasma intrinsic protein) aquaporin expression. Across species, we identified a ubiquitous gene (PIP1:5/1:6), nine drought-inhibited genes, and two drought-induced genes (PIP1:4 and 2:6/2:7, confirming previous studies).

Our study highlights the potential of using wild relatives of fruit tree species to prepare key crops to a drier and hotter future. The study of PIPs leads the way to a more focused research of the role of these cellular water channels in minimizing tree water loss under drought, while ensuring hydration of specific tissues.