Does acclimation in distinct light conditions determine differences in the photosynthetic heat tolerance of coffee plants?

Abstract

Abstract Worldwide coffee production is threatened by climate change, which highlights the importance of heat tolerance studies. Here we tested the hypothesis that photosynthetic heat tolerance in coffee varieties changes according to acclimation to distinct light conditions. Furthermore, we tested if heat tolerance is associated with the habitat of origin of the coffee species. We evaluated heat tolerance using chlorophyll fluorescence in varieties of Coffea arabica (Mundo Novo and Catuai Amarelo) and C. canephora (Conilon) grown in a common garden under two conditions: high (HS) and low (LS) sunlight. Leaf traits associated with leaf cooling were evaluated in plants grown in LS and HS and associations of heat tolerance with these traits were determined. The varieties tested had high photosynthetic heat tolerance, with temperatures above 54 °C leading to a 50% reduction in Fv/Fm (T50). The heat tolerance of each Coffea variety was unaffected by growth in distinct light conditions. Leaves of plants grown in LS were larger and had a lower fraction of the leaf area occupied by stomata (nast). Heat tolerance was positively associated with leaf size and negatively with nast. C. canephora exhibited higher heat tolerance than C. arabica. The limited plasticity of heat tolerance in response to acclimation under distinct light conditions contradicts the prediction that plants acclimated to HS would have higher photosynthetic heat tolerance than those acclimated to LS. Our results on heat tolerance among Coffea species/varieties in HS and LS indicate the possibility of selection of varieties for better acclimation to ongoing climate changes.