Adult pomegranate trees (Punica granatum (L.) cv. Mollar de Elche) were submitted to three irrigation
treatments. Control (T0) plants were drip irrigated in order to guarantee non-limiting soil water conditions,
T1 plants (deficit irrigation) were drip irrigated according to the criteria commonly used by the
growers in the area and T2 plants were subjected to water withholding and recovery periods of 34 and 6
days, respectively, during the summer of 2009. The results indicated that pomegranate plants confront
water stress by developing stress avoidance and stress tolerance mechanisms. From the time of deficit
irrigation (T1) and water withholding (T2) began to be applied, leaf conductance decreased in order to
control water loss via transpiration and to avoid leaf turgor loss (stress avoidance mechanism). Close to
the end of the stress period, when maximum stress levels had developed, active osmotic adjustment was
triggered, contributing to the maintenance of leaf turgor (stress tolerance mechanism). Other drought
tolerance characteristics commonly seen in xeromorphic plants were also observed, such as high relative
apoplastic water content (42–58%), which would contribute to the retention of water at low leaf water
potentials.