Effects of drought stress on seed germination and early seeding growth in Ferula ferulaeoides (Steud.) Korov.

Ferula ferulaeoides (Steud.) Korov. is a well-known perennial herb whose growth and distribution are negatively affected by drought. However, the drought sensitivity of its seed germination stage and early seedling growth stage have not been studied in detail. In this study, PEG-6000 induced water deficiency conditions were perform to obverse the drought tolerance of seeds and seedlings of F. ferulaeoides. Data exhibited that the seed germination rate was reduced with elevated PEG-6000 concentrations and especially, no seeds germinated at a PEG-6000 concentration of 20%. Besides, water deficiency conditions altered the morphology of seedling leaf and root, which made the chloroplast of seedling leaf cells deformed and vacuolized and caused mitochondria structure damage in both tissues. The antioxidant parameters of seedlings under drought stress were further observed. Data exhibited that catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase responded rapidly under drought stress. The seedlings accumulated a large amount of malondialdehyde under high drought stress. Drought stress affected the accumulation of proline and photosynthetic pigments. In summary, the germination and seedling stage of F. ferulaeoides exhibited poorly environmental adaptability to drought stress, which mainly manifested in the water-dependent changes of seed survival rate, seedling morphology, physiological and biochemical indexes. Our results could provide guiding suggestions for future artificial cultivation.