CC&NUTS - Aumento da resiliência do castanheiro às alterações climáticas: o papel do “stress priming” e da micorrização

Montesinho National Park (MNP), located in Terra Fria Transmontana, is considered a European hotspot of plant biodiversity, characterized by large agroforest areas, where chestnut (Castanea sativa Miller) plantations represent not only a typical landscape, but also an important economic revenue for local populations. In Portugal, one of the main worldwide producers and exporters of this fruit, more than 80% of chestnut forest areas are sited in Trás-os-Montes. However, as a mesophilic and deciduous species, chestnuts are very sensitive to long episodes of heat and drought, scenarios that are increasingly common in the region of MNP due to climate change (CC). Actually, CC is currently considered the defining issue threatening the normal functioning of ecosystems, pushing plants outside their tolerance boundaries. In fact, as some areas keep experiencing lower precipitation levels and increasing temperatures, crops’ development and yield can be significantly compromised. Therefore, developing ways to increase C. sativa resilience to an ever-changing environment, where extreme events are likely to occur more often, is a matter of special interest, especially in the context of the MNP. Based on these premises, the main goals of CC&NUTS are:

- To compare the responses of different chestnut varieties to periods of drought and heat at physiological and biochemical levels, in order to select the varieties best adapted to these adverse conditions. The aim is therefore to identify the physiological consequences and oxidative disturbances in different chestnut varieties, presented in the PNM, after exposure to the combined stresses of drought and heat.

- To optimize the micropropagation of chestnut trees and establish the mycorrhization of relevant rootstocks, onto which the varieties with the greatest potential for stress tolerance will be grafted.

- To evaluate the potential of mycorrhization and “stress priming” to increase the tolerance of C. sativa to subsequent episodes of drought and heat.

- To validate the proposed strategy under open-field conditions.