Rootstock-Mediated Responses To Combined Salinity And Water Deficit
PhD research on physiology, metabolism, ion regulation, root-shoot traits, and agronomic performance in grafted Syrah.
This research investigates how rootstock variation shapes whole-plant stress responses in grafted grapevine under combined salinity and water-deficit stress.
The work integrates multi-season field and semi-controlled experiments with photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, water status, ion partitioning, metabolomics, phenology, and agronomic performance. A major emphasis is identifying physiological and metabolic tipping points that mark transitions from acclimation to stress-response modes.
The project supports trait discovery for climate-resilient viticulture by linking belowground processes with scion performance, yield components, and stress thresholds.
This project draws directly from the thesis work on responses of Vitis vinifera grafts to combined abiotic stress, with emphasis on physiology, metabolism, ion regulation, and rootstock effects.