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Updated: Jul 7, 2026
11:09
Relating Stomatal Conductance to Leaf Functional Traits
Published on: October 12, 2015
Hydraulic and mechanical stem properties affect leaf-stem allometry in mango cultivars
F Normand1, C Bissery, G Damour
1CIRAD-PERSYST, UPR Production Fruitière Intégrée, Station de Bassin-Plat, BP 180, F-97455 Saint-Pierre cedex, Réunion Island, France. frederic.normand@cirad.fr
The New Phytologist
|February 13, 2008
Summary
Plant leaf and stem size relationships vary by cultivar, influenced by stem
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Ecology
- Botany
Background:
- Leaf-stem allometric relationships are key to plant biomass allocation.
- Previous studies focused on specific and supraspecific levels, not infraspecific (cultivar) levels.
- Hypothesis: Allometric relationships are cultivar-specific, linked to stem hydraulic conductivity and mechanical strength.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate infraspecific allometric relationships between leaf and stem size in mango cultivars.
- Determine if these relationships are cultivar-specific.
- Correlate allometry with stem hydraulic and mechanical properties.
Main Methods:
- Studied four mango (Mangifera indica) cultivars over 3 years.
- Used standardized major axis method for leaf-stem size allometry on current-year branches.
- Measured hydraulic conductivity and mechanical strength of cultivar stems.
Main Results:
- Allometric slopes were similar across cultivars, but y-intercepts differed.
- Differences in stem mass vs. branch area intercepts related to mechanical stem properties.
- Differences in leaf mass vs. stem mass intercepts related to hydraulic stem properties.
Conclusions:
- Leaf-stem allometry in mango cultivars is significantly shaped by stem hydraulic and mechanical properties.
- Supports a functional interpretation of leaf and stem dimension relationships at the cultivar level.
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