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Norway spruce is one of Europe’s most widely used and economically important trees, but rising drought levels are causing increased tree death across the continent. A new study has tested a faster, more detailed way to study how young spruce trees respond to dry conditions, offering a possible path to selecting trees that can cope better with climate change.

Published in Plant Phenomics, the research uses a high-throughput phenotyping platform to measure over 50 growth and physiological traits in seedlings exposed to drought for 21 days. These measurements were combined with metabolomics and transcriptomics, which analyse plant chemicals and gene activity.

Two populations of spruce from nearby but climatically different locations were tested. Both showed clear changes in physical traits and internal chemistry during drought. The trees produced more abscisic acid, α-tocopherol, zeaxanthin, lutein, and phenolic compounds, which are substances known to help plants manage stress. At the same time, gene activity related to photosynthesis was reduced.

Although both populations responded in similar ways overall, differences were found in how they managed energy processes and in the chemical and genetic patterns during drought. These findings suggest that even closely located spruce groups may vary in their ability to handle water shortage.

This new method could help researchers and forest managers more quickly identify which tree populations are better suited to drier conditions, allowing for better planning and selection in future forest planting.