The effects of drought stress on seed germination and seedling physiology of three Limonium species

IF 4.2 2区农林科学 Q1 HORTICULTURE

Scientia Horticulturae Pub Date : 2025-09-01 DOI:10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114396

Bi liang Cai , Zhu Zhu , Ting Liu , Jing hui Wang , Qing Tian

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The plants of the genus Limonium are often used as cut flowers and landscaping materials due to their beautiful flowers and high ornamental value. However, their application in arid and semi-arid regions is relatively limited. To explore the potential of Limonium in these areas, We conducted a study on three wild species in Gansu Province: Limonium gmelinii, Limonium bicolor, and Limonium aureum. By simulating different intensities of drought stress using polyethylene glycol (PEG), we observed the seed germination behavior and the physiological and biochemical responses of seedlings of these three species to drought stress. The results showed that 20 % PEG stress significantly inhibited the germination of seeds from all three species. At the same time, the germination drought tolerance index (GDTI) remained at 0.24 for Limonium aureum under 30 % PEG, higher than the 0.13 for Limonium bicolor, indicating that it possesses strong drought tolerance capabilities even at the seed stage. Multiple physiological indicators at the seedling stage further revealed differences between species. At 30 % PEG treatment, the proline content of Limonium aureum increased by 454.6 % compared to the control, and it exhibited the highest superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. The principal component analysis results showed that Limonium aureum had the highest comprehensive score (0.487) at 20 % PEG and the strongest overall drought tolerance. The findings of this study provide a theoretical basis for selecting urban landscaping plants in arid and semi-arid regions of northwest China, particularly highlighting the drought resistance and ornamental value of Limonium aureum, making it an ideal material for landscaping in these areas.

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干旱胁迫对三种柠檬种子萌发及幼苗生理的影响

Limonium属植物因其花朵美丽，观赏价值高，常被用作切花和园林绿化材料。然而，它们在干旱半干旱地区的应用相对有限。为了探索这些地区的利用潜力，本研究对甘肃的三种野生植物Limonium gmelinii、Limonium bicolor和Limonium aureum进行了研究。采用聚乙二醇（PEG）模拟不同干旱胁迫强度，观察了三种植物种子萌发行为及幼苗对干旱胁迫的生理生化反应。结果表明，20%的PEG胁迫显著抑制了三种植物种子的萌发。同时，在PEG浓度为30%的条件下，金黄色Limonium的萌发耐旱指数（GDTI）保持在0.24，高于双色Limonium的0.13，表明其在种子期就具有较强的耐旱能力。苗期多项生理指标进一步揭示了种间差异。在30% PEG处理下，金黄色Limonium的脯氨酸含量比对照提高了454.6%，超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性最高。主成分分析结果表明，在PEG为20%时，金黄色Limonium的综合得分最高（0.487），总体耐旱性最强。本研究结果为西北干旱半干旱区城市园林绿化植物的选择提供了理论依据，尤其突出了金色Limonium aureum的抗旱性和观赏价值，使其成为西北干旱半干旱区城市园林绿化的理想材料。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Scientia Horticulturae 农林科学-园艺

CiteScore

8.60

自引率

4.70%

发文量

796

审稿时长

47 days

期刊介绍： Scientia Horticulturae is an international journal publishing research related to horticultural crops. Articles in the journal deal with open or protected production of vegetables, fruits, edible fungi and ornamentals under temperate, subtropical and tropical conditions. Papers in related areas (biochemistry, micropropagation, soil science, plant breeding, plant physiology, phytopathology, etc.) are considered, if they contain information of direct significance to horticulture. Papers on the technical aspects of horticulture (engineering, crop processing, storage, transport etc.) are accepted for publication only if they relate directly to the living product. In the case of plantation crops, those yielding a product that may be used fresh (e.g. tropical vegetables, citrus, bananas, and other fruits) will be considered, while those papers describing the processing of the product (e.g. rubber, tobacco, and quinine) will not. The scope of the journal includes all horticultural crops but does not include speciality crops such as, medicinal crops or forestry crops, such as bamboo. Basic molecular studies without any direct application in horticulture will not be considered for this journal.