Roots of Lucerne Seedlings are More Resilient to a Water Deficit than Leaves or Stems

• Main Authors: Yong-Zhong Luo, Hui Liu, Guijun Yan, Guang Li, Neil C. Turner
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-03-01
• Series: Agronomy
• Subjects: Medicago sativa (L.); relative water content; biomass; proline concentration; root:shoot ratio; drought adaptation
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/9/3/123

Drought is one of the most harmful environmental stresses affecting the physiological, biochemical processes and growth of plants. Lucerne or alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), one of the most popular pasture species in arid and semi-arid regions, plays a critical role in sustaining agricultural systems in many areas of the world. In order to evaluate the effect of water shortage on water status, biomass distribution and proline content, the relative water content (RWC), biomass and proline concentration in the leaves, stems and roots of lucerne seedlings under three different water regimes were studied in pots under a rainout shelter. The results showed that after water was withheld, the RWC of the different organs decreased significantly; at the same soil water content, the leaf RWC was higher than that of the stem and root. The biomass of the leaves, stems and roots were all reduced by water stress, while the root–shoot ratio increased indicating that the roots were less affected than the leaves and stems. Proline concentration increased with decreasing soil water content with the leaf proline concentration increasing more than that of stems and roots. These results indicate that roots of lucerne seedlings show greater resilience to water deficits than shoots.