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Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Drought resistance in Harumi tangor seedlings grafted onto different rootstocks

Tiantian Dong https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3100-5624 A * , Lijuan Xi A * , Bo Xiong https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1767-7478 A * , Xia Qiu A , Shengjia Huang A , Wenxin Xu A , Jiaqi Wang A , Bozhi Wang A , Yuan Yao A , Changwen Duan A , Xiaoyu Tang A , Guochao Sun A B , Xun Wang B , Honghong Deng B and Zhihui Wang A B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China.

B Institute of Pomology and Olericulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China.

C Corresponding author. Email: wangzhihui318@126.com

Functional Plant Biology 48(5) 529-541 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP20242
Submitted: 11 August 2020  Accepted: 15 December 2020   Published: 1 February 2021

Abstract

In this study we analysed the influence of drought stress on the leaf morphological characteristics, osmotic adjustment substances, antioxidant enzymes, and resistance-related photosynthetic physiological indices of Harumi tangor plants grafted onto Poncirus trifoliata (Pt), Citrus junos (Cj), and Citrus tangerine (Ct). The leaf relative water content and leaf area of the three rootstocks decreased with increasing drought stress, with the smallest decrease in Cj. The relative conductivity and malondialdehyde content increased with increasing drought stress. Proline, total soluble sugar, soluble protein, and activities of superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and catalase increased with drought stress but decreased under severe drought stress, with Cj exhibiting the greatest increase in enzyme activity. The net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and chlorophyll a and b content were all lower than those of the control, whereas intercellular CO2 concentration increased with increasing drought stress. The initial fluorescence and maximal quantum yield of PSII were approximately equal for all rootstocks but increased with increasing drought stress severity. The combined analysis of physiological indicators, membership function, and principal components indicated that the drought resistance of grafted H. tangor decreased in the order Cj > Ct > Pt.

Keywords: antioxidant enzyme, osmotic adjustment substance, photosynthetic physiological parameter, photosystem II, redox equilibrium.


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