Stomatal density, type and their relationships with leaf morphological traits in Vitis vinifera L. varieties

This study was carried out to determine the relationships between stomatal density and type and some leaf morphological traits in 10 grapevine varieties (Vitis vinifera L.). The study was performed during the vegetation period of 2022-2023 in the vineyards of the Research Station for Viticulture of Ankara University Faculty of Agriculture in Kalecik-Ankara. ‘Lival’, ‘Tekirdağ Seedless’, ‘Beauty Seedless’, ‘Michele Palieri’, ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, ‘Narince’, ‘Syrah’, ‘Kalecik Karası’, ‘Alphonse Lavallée’ and ‘Hasandede’ varieties, grafted on 5BB rootstock, were evaluated as experimental materials in the study. The results revealed that there have been significant variations among varieties in terms of stomatal density, distribution of stomatal types, the proportion of trichomes, and leaf thickness. In general, stomatal density ranged from 168.17 to 268.27 stomata mm-2 in the varieties. The presence of the three different stomatal types (same level, raised above, and sunken) was detected by SEM images. The percentage of stomatal types varied between 39-59 for the same level, 25-42 for the raised above and 10-26 for the sunken. The percentage of the same level stomatal type was found to be higher than the other two types in all varieties. In addition, the same level stomatal type exhibited negative correlations with the raised above and the sunken stomatal types. In terms of leaf characteristics, the proportion of trichomes showed a negatively significant correlation (r = -0.309; p<0.01) with stomatal density. However, the relationship between leaf thickness and stomatal density was not significant.