Anatomical and physiological responses of two kiwifruit cultivars to bicarbonate

However, bicarbonate treatment thickened palisade tissue and decreased the phenolic content in 'Nongdajinmi' and lowered the organic acid content and stomatal length, width and aperture size in 'Xuxiang'. Interestingly, bicarbonate raised Ca concentration in new leaves and reduced Mg in old leaves of 'Nongdajinmi', but the opposite was true for 'Xuxiang'. These results implied that the two cultivars adopted two different mechanisms in response to bicarbonate stress. Our study contributes to better understanding the responsive mechanisms of kiwifruit to bicarbonate and the cultivar selections for kiwifruit orchards established on calcareous soils.