4. Discussion
Here we report data of experiments aimed at investigating the
response mechanisms operating in different accessions of J. curcas during a sudden decrease in substrate moisture availability, as well
as their capacity to recover photosynthetic performance during
a successive period of relief from stress. This information may have
ecophysiological and horticultural significance, as very little is
known about how J. curcas, a species proposed as a source of biofuel, may sustain carbon acquisition and growth performance
under limited water availability, and, hence, may provide useful
insights for its cultivation in semiarid regions of the world. Moreover,
the study of the diversity of drought tolerance mechanisms
across different seed sources can bring interesting knowledge on
the different possibilities of adaptation.