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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (7): 158-170.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2024330

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Effects of drought stress and rehydration on biomass allocation and osmotic regulation characteristics of Indigofera bungeana

Jia-yi YONG1(), Shuang MA1, Feng-hua MA1, Xiao-na ZHAO1, Yi-yin ZHANG1, Hai-ying HU1,2()   

  1. 1.College of Forestry and Prataculture,Ningxia University,Yinchuan 750021,China
    2.Grass and Animal Husbandry Engineering Technology Research Center,Ningxia University,Yinchuan 750021,China
  • Received:2024-08-27 Revised:2024-10-21 Online:2025-07-20 Published:2025-05-12
  • Contact: Hai-ying HU

Abstract:

Plants under drought stress show various types of injury, and have adaptation strategies and repair processes that function during rehydration after drought stress. The degree of sensitivity to water deficit and the extent of recovery after rehydration differ among different plants. Therefore, it is of great significance to study drought tolerance and recovery after rehydration to breed drought-resistant and water-saving plants. In this research, a comparative analysis was conducted using wild and cultivated species of Indigofera bungeana. The plants were subjected to a drought stress treatment, imposed by controlling the water level in pots, followed by rehydration. Growth and physiological indexes were measured at 3, 6, 10, and 13 days of the drought stress treatment and at 2 and 7 days after rehydration. We explored the effects of drought stress and rehydration on biomass distribution to different organs, root distribution, and osmotic regulation, with an aim to analyze biomass allocation strategies and the physiological mechanisms of the drought response, and compared these characteristics between wild and cultivated I. bungeana. The main results of the study are as follows: 1) With prolonged drought stress, the organ biomass, root allocation characteristics (total root length, root surface area, root volume, root branches), starch content, and activity of root neutral invertase (NIV) decreased, whereas the root-shoot ratio, the contents of proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), and sucrose, and the activities of sucrose synthase, α-amylase, and leaf NIV gradually increased. 2) At 7 days after rehydration, except for root distribution and MDA content, all the other growth and physiological indexes returned to the control level, indicating that the plants were capable of compensatory growth after drought. 3) A principal component analysis based on all the indexes showed that the amplitude of the change in the indexes was significantly greater in the cultivated species than in the wild one, indicating that the cultivated species is more tolerant to drought stress. Under continuous drought stress, the two species of I. bungeana maintained turgor pressure by accumulating osmolarity-regulating substances, which alleviated damage to cell membranes. Moreover, the activity of sucrose- and starch-metabolizing enzymes was regulated to allocate biomass to the root system, and to provide energy to promote water absorption by the root system as adaptations to drought stress. Both species showed significant compensatory growth after rehydration.

Key words: Indigofera bungeana, drought and rehydration, biomass allocation, osmotic regulation, compensatory growth