Tree Responses to Suboptimal Growth Conditions

Dear Colleagues, 

The concept of optimal conditions for growth is fundamentally linked to species/tree/organ resource-dependent responses, and under a non-limiting environment, the genetic traits have a major role in the production, conservation, and colonization strategy of the species. On the other side, in a limiting environment, the resource limitations determine competition between species and trees to access to environmental resources (mainly light, temperature, water, and nutrients), as well as between organs and tissues in which complex sink–source relationships drive the flux of water, non-structural carbon, N-compounds, and other useful metabolites for growth and development. In such conditions, the increasing pressure of environmental changes determines plant acclimation in the short term or adaptation in the long term. Thus, under suboptimal growth conditions, trees acclimate to environmental constraints through anatomical, morphological, biochemical, and physiological changes to preserve plant functionality and growth. 

We believe that “suboptimal conditions” need to be better determined through the definition of environmental thresholds able to induce plant/organ/tissue response. Thus, studies of ecophysiology, dendroecology, ecology, plant physiology, and agronomy can offer new insight into the definition of these thresholds considering long-term observations, field trials, greenhouse, or controlled chambers, as well as manipulative experiments on woody plants. The scientific community must be aware of the concept of resource use efficiency and evaluate the effect of single or contrasting stresses such as water deficit and flooding (comprising irrigation deficit practices), nutrient deficit and pollutions (xenobiotics, salts, heavy metal), and heat and cold temperatures with the aim to disentangle the complex interactions between tree physiology and environment.  

This Special Issue is focused on the effects from mild to moderate stress in tree physiology, metabolism, and anatomy to address acclimation and adaptation. Therefore, plant studies are most welcome in the form of original research papers, perspectives, hypotheses, opinions, reviews, modeling approaches, and methods.

Dr. Maria Laura Traversi
Dr. Claudia Cocozza
Dr. Alessio Giovannelli
Guest Editors

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• environmental constraints
• abiotic stress
• tree susceptibility
• stress thresholds
• adaptive traits
• plant acclimation