Morpho-physiological responses of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) genotypes to drought stress

The identification of morpho-physiological traits related to drought tolerance and high yield potential is a challenge when selecting sugar beet genotypes with greater tolerance to water stress. In this paper, root morphological parameters, antioxidant systems, leaf relative water content (RWC) and H⁺-ATPase activity as key morpho-physiological traits involved in drought tolerance/susceptibility of sugar beet were studied. Genotypes showing a different drought tolerance index (DTI) but a similar yield potential, under moderate (?0.6 Mpa) and severe (?1.2 MPa) water stress, were selected and their morpho-physiological traits were investigated. The results showed a wide genetic variation in morpho-physiological parameters which demonstrated the different adaptive strategies under moderate and severe drought conditions in sugar beet. In particular, an efficient antioxidant system and redox signalling made some sugar beet genotypes more tolerant to drought stress. The alternative strategy of other genotypes was the reduction of root tissue density, which produced a less dense root system improving the axial hydraulic conductivity. These results could be considered as interesting challenge for a better understanding of the drought tolerance mechanisms in sugar beet.     

Responses of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) to drought and nutrient deficiency stress

The responses of two sugar beet genotypes, 24367 (putative droughttolerant) and N6 (putative drought intolerant), to drought and nutrientdeficiency stress were investigated in an attempt to identify reliable andsensitive indicators of stress tolerance. In glasshouse-grown plants of bothgenotypes, relative water content (RWC) of the leaves decreased and leaftemperature increased in response to drought stress. Genotype differences inresponse to drought included leaf RWC, glycine betaine accumulation, alterationof shoot/root ratio and production of fibrous roots. Thus, in comparison to N6,genotype 24367 lost less water from leaves, produced more fibrous roots,produced more glycine betaine in shoots and tap roots and had a much reducedshoot/root ratio in response to withholding water for up to 215 h.The hydraulic conductance and sap flow of sugar beet seedlings grown innutrientculture decreased when subjected to nitrogen deficiency stress. Under nitrogensufficient conditions sap flow was greater in 24367 than in N6. The resultsindicate that genotype 24367 is more tolerant to stresses induced by water andnitrogen deficiency and that increased fibrous root development may be a majorfactor in increasing sap flow via a concomitant enhancement of aquaporinactivity.     

Characterization of some bread wheat genotypes using molecular markers for drought tolerance

Because of its wide geographical adaptation and importance in human nutrition, wheat is one of the most important crops in the world. However, wheat yield has reduced due to drought stress posing threat to sustainability and world food security in agricultural production. The first stage of drought tolerant variety breeding occurs on the molecular and biochemical characterization and classification of wheat genotypes. The aim of the present study is characterization of widely grown bread wheat cultivars and breeding lines for drought tolerance so as to be adapted to different regions in Turkey. The genotypes were screened with molecular markers for the presence of QTLs mapped to different chromosomes. Results of the molecular studies identified and detected 15 polymorphic SSR markers which gave the clearest PCR bands among the control genotypes. At the end of the research, bread wheat genotypes which were classified for tolerance or sensitivity to drought and the genetic similarity within control varieties were determined by molecular markers. According to SSR based dendrogram, two main groups were obtained for drought tolerance. At end of the molecular screening with SSR primers, genetic similarity coefficients were obtained that ranged from 0.14 to 0.71. The ones numbered 8 and 11 were the closest genotypes to drought tolerant cultivar Gerek 79 and the furthest genotypes from this cultivar were number 16 and to drought sensitive cultivar Sultan 95. The genotypes as drought tolerance due to their SSR markers scores are expected to provide useful information for drought related molecular breeding studies.     

Root Respiration,Photosynthesis and Grain Yield of Two Spring Wheat in Response to Soil Drying

The effects of soil water regime and wheat cultivar, differing in drought tolerance with respect to root respiration and grain yield, were investigated in a greenhouse experiment. Two spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars, a drought sensitive (Longchun 8139-2) and drought tolerant (Dingxi 24) were grown in PVC tubes (120 cm in length and 10 cm in diameter) under an automatic rain-shelter. Plants were subjected to three soil moisture regimes: (1) well-watered control (85% field water capacity, FWC); (2) moderate drought stress (50% FWC) and (3) severe drought stress (30% FWC). The aim was to study the influence of root respiration on grain yield under soil drying conditions. In the experiment, severe drought stress significantly (p < 0.05) reduced shoot and root biomass, photosynthesis and root respiration rate for both cultivars, but the extent of the decreases was greater for Dingxi 24 compared to that for Longchun 8139-2. Compared with Dingxi 24, 0.04 and 0.07 mg glucose m⁻² s⁻¹ of additional energy, equivalent to 0.78 and 1.43 J m⁻² s⁻¹, was used for water absorption by Longchun 8139-2 under moderate and severe drought stress, respectively. Although the grain yield of both cultivars decreased with declining soil moisture, loss was greater in Longchun 8139-2 than in Dingxi 24, especially under severe drought stress. The drought tolerance cultivar (Dingxi 24), had a higher biomass and metabolic activity under severe drought stress compared to the sensitive cultivar (Longchun 8139-2), which resulted in further limitation of grain yield. Results show that root respiration, carbohydrates allocation (root:shoot ratio) and grain yield were closely related to soil water status and wheat cultivar. Reductions in root respiration and root biomass under severe soil drying can improve drought tolerant wheat growth and physiological activity during soil drying and improve grain yield, and hence should be advantageous over a drought sensitive cultivar in arid regions.     

干旱胁迫对菜苔叶片保护酶活性和膜脂过氧化的影响

以3个不同耐旱性的菜苔（Brassica parachinensis L.H.Bailey）品种为试材,研究了干旱胁迫对叶片保护酶活性和膜脂过氧化的影响及其与抗旱性的关系。干旱胁迫条件下,菜苔叶片的电解质外渗率和MDA含量呈上升趋势,叶绿素含量、抗坏血酸含量和SOD活性呈下降趋势,CAT活性表现为先上升后下降。耐旱品种比不耐旱品种具有较高的叶绿素含量和抗坏血酸含量,具有较低的电解质外渗率和MDA含量;耐旱品种的SOD活性比不耐旱品种下降幅度小。轻度干旱胁迫下,耐旱品种的CAT活性上升幅度比不耐旱品种高;重度干旱胁迫下耐旱品种的CAT活性下降程度比不耐旱品种低。耐旱品种的POD活性在干旱条件下先上升而后降低,不耐品种的POD活性处于下降趋势。干旱6d后,耐旱品种的SOD、CAT和POD活性显著高于不耐旱品种。     

Adaptability to drought in sugar beet cultivars

The effects of NaCl and polyethylene glycol (PEG) on superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (P) activities, lipid peroxidation (LP) and proline content in seeds and leaves of drought tolerant (FC-506 and MS-100) and drought sensitive (MS-612 and MS-13) sugar beet cultivars were examined. After PEG and NaCl treatment in tolerant cultivars both in seeds and leaves SOD activity mainly increased, though P activity increased only in leaves of tolerant cultivars. In drought sensitive cultivars the decrease of SOD and P activity was mostly observed. LP increased in seeds and leaves of all examined cultivars. The proline content increased in the leaves of examined cultivars and was significantly higher in drought tolerant plants. On the other hand, in the seeds only slight increase in proline content was found. The results obtained indicated that drought tolerance could be correlated with high proline content and enzymatic defense against lipid peroxidation.     

Assessment of grain yield indices in response to drought stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Drought stress constricts crop production in the world. Increasing human population and predicted temperature increase owing to global warming will lead ruthless problems for agricultural production in near future. Hence, use of high yielding genotypes having drought tolerance and scrutinize of drought sensitive local cultivars for making them tolerant may be the proficient approaches to cope its detrimental outcomes. The current study was executed during 20015–2016 and 2016–2017 in field using randomized complete block design under factorial arrangements on 50 wheat genotypes for exploring their sensitivity and tolerance against drought. Some of the attributes of grain yield and drought tolerance indices were recorded. Grain yield showed negative correlations with tolerance index (TOL), drought index (DI) and stress susceptibility index (SSI) while positive correlation with mean productivity (MP) and geometric mean productivity (GMP) under drought condition. These findings depicted that tolerant genotypes could be chosen by high MP and GMP values and low SSI and TOL values. Based on the results, genotypes GA-02, Faisalabad-83, 9444, Sehar-06, Pirsabak-04 and Kohistan-97 were more tolerant and recognized as suitable for both normal and drought conditions. Genotypes of Chenab-00, Kohsar-95, Parwaz-94 and Kohenoor-83 confirmed more sensitive due to high grain yield loss under drought stress.     

Morpho-physiological and molecular characterization of drought tolerance traits in Gossypium hirsutum genotypes under drought stress

Drought stress is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting lint yield and fibre quality in cotton. With increase in population, degrading natural resources and frequent drought occurrences, development of high yielding, drought tolerant cotton cultivars is critical for sustainable cotton production across countries. Six Gossypium hirsutum genotypes identified for drought tolerance, wider adaptability and better fibre quality traits were characterized for various morpho-physiological and biochemical characters and their molecular basis was investigated under drought stress. Under drought conditions, genotypes revealed statistically significant differences for all the morpho-physiological and biochemical traits. The interaction (genotype × treatment) effects were highly significant for root length, excised leaf water loss and cell membrane thermostability indicating differential interaction of genotypes under control and stress conditions. Correlation studies revealed that under drought stress, relative water content had significant positive correlation with root length and root-to-shoot ratio while it had significant negative correlation with excised leaf water loss, epicuticular wax, proline, potassium and total soluble sugar content. Analysis of expression of fourteen drought stress related genes under water stress indicated that both ABA dependent and ABA independent mechanisms of drought tolerance might be operating differentially in the studied genotypes. IC325280 and LRA5166 exhibited ABA mediated expression of stress responsive genes and traits. Molecular basis of drought tolerance in IC357406, Suraj, IC259637 and CNH 28I genotypes could be attributed to ABA independent pathway. Based on physiological phenotyping, the genotypes IC325280 and IC357406 were identified to possess better root traits and LRA5166 was found to have enhanced cellular level tolerance. Variety Suraj exhibited good osmotic adjustment and better root traits to withstand water stress. The identified drought component trait(s) in specific genotypes would pave way for their pyramiding through marker assisted cotton breeding.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12298-020-00890-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Molecular Assortment of Lens Species with Different Adaptations to Drought Conditions Using SSR Markers

The success of drought tolerance breeding programs can be enhanced through molecular assortment of germplasm. This study was designed to characterize molecular diversity within and between Lens species with different adaptations to drought stress conditions using SSR markers. Drought stress was applied at seedling stage to study the effects on morpho-physiological traits under controlled condition, where tolerant cultivars and wilds showed 12.8–27.6% and 9.5–23.2% reduction in seed yield per plant respectively. When juxtaposed to field conditions, the tolerant cultivars (PDL-1 and PDL-2) and wild (ILWL-314 and ILWL-436) accessions showed 10.5–26.5% and 7.5%–15.6% reduction in seed yield per plant, respectively under rain-fed conditions. The reductions in seed yield in the two tolerant cultivars and wilds under severe drought condition were 48–49% and 30.5–45.3% respectively. A set of 258 alleles were identified among 278 genotypes using 35 SSR markers. Genetic diversity and polymorphism information contents varied between 0.321–0.854 and 0.299–0.836, with mean value of 0.682 and 0.643, respectively. All the genotypes were clustered into 11 groups based on SSR markers. Tolerant genotypes were grouped in cluster 6 while sensitive ones were mainly grouped into cluster 7. Wild accessions were separated from cultivars on the basis of both population structure and cluster analysis. Cluster analysis has further grouped the wild accessions on the basis of species and sub-species into 5 clusters. Physiological and morphological characters under drought stress were significantly (P = 0.05) different among microsatellite clusters. These findings suggest that drought adaptation is variable among wild and cultivated genotypes. Also, genotypes from contrasting clusters can be selected for hybridization which could help in evolution of better segregants for improving drought tolerance in lentil.     

Photosynthetic characteristics and enzymatic antioxidant capacity of leaves from wheat cultivars exposed to drought

Two durum (Triticum durum L.), Barakatli-95 and Garagylchyg-2; and two bread (Triticum aestivum L.) wheat cultivars, Azamatli-95 and Giymatli-2/17 with different sensitivities to drought were grown in the field on a wide area under normal irrigation and severe water deficit. Drought caused a more pronounced inhibition in photosynthetic parameters in the more sensitive cvs Garagylchyg-2 and Giymatli-2/17 compared with the tolerant cvs Barakatli-95 and Azamatli-95. Upon dehydration, a decline in total chlorophyll and relative water content was evident in all cultivars, especially in later periods of ontogenesis. Potential quantum yield of PS II (F(v)/F(m) ratio) in cv Azamatli-95 was maximal during stalk emergency stage at the beginning of drought. This parameter increased in cv Garagylchyg-2, while in tolerant cultivar Barakatli-95 significant changes were not observed. Contrary to other wheat genotypes in Giymatli-2/17 drought caused a decrease in PS II quantum yield. Drought-tolerant cultivars showed a significant increase in CAT activity as compared to control plants. In durum wheat cultivars maximal activity of CAT was observed at the milk ripeness and in bread wheat cultivars at the end of flowering. APX activity also increased in drought-treated leaves: in tolerant wheat genotypes maximal activity occurred at the end of flowering, in sensitive ones at the end of ear formation. GR activity increased in the tolerant cultivars under drought stress at all stages of ontogenesis. SOD activity significantly decreased in sensitive cultivars and remained at the control level or increased in resistant ones. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Photosynthesis Research for Sustainability: from Natural to Artificial.     

Influence of waterlogging on some anti-oxidative enzymatic activities of two barley genotypes differing in anoxia tolerance

The experiment was conducted to investigate the formation of oxidative stress and the development of anti-oxidative enzymes in two barley genotypes differing in anoxia tolerance. Waterlogging led to significant reduction in root and shoot weight, green leaf area and tillers per plant, but tolerant Xiumai 3 was much less reduced than sensitive Gerdner. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content, an indicator of membrane lipid peroxidation, significantly increased in Gerdner when the plants were subjected to waterlogging, but remained little changed in Xiumai 3. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was increased with waterlogging treatment and the sensitive cultivar had higher activity than the tolerant one during the experimental duration. At early stage of waterlogging treatment, both peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities significantly increased in Xuimai 3, while obviously decreased in Gerdner. Moreover, both cultivars showed substantial increase in both POD and CAT with the progress of waterlogging exposure. Glutathione reductase (GR) activity was increased in both tolerant- and sensitive cultivars under waterlogging. It may be assumed from the current results that SOD activity appears to be not a constraining factor limiting the scavenging of ROS, and it is the change of POD and CAT activity under waterlogging that determine the status of oxidative stress. The difference between genotypes in waterlogging tolerance could be distinguished from the changed patterns of these enzymatic activities.     

超表达AVP1基因提高甜菜的耐低磷和耐盐抗旱性

为探讨H⁺-焦磷酸酶编码基因对甜菜磷吸收和抗性的影响,实现优良基因在甜菜基因工程中的利用,研究在甜菜中超表达拟南芥液泡膜H⁺-焦磷酸酶编码基因AVP1,对转基因甜菜分析其耐低磷、耐盐性和抗旱性。结果显示,AVP1基因在甜菜植株的叶片和块根中表达,且在逆境胁迫下增强表达量响应胁迫;低磷处理条件下,转基因甜菜与野生型甜菜相比具有更高的含磷量,可提高甜菜对磷的吸收利用效率;干旱、盐胁迫处理条件下,AVP1基因在转基因甜菜中显著上升,在盐胁迫或干旱处理条件下,转基因植株的生长受抑程度相对较轻。随着盐和干旱胁迫的加剧,转基因植株体内MDA含量与野生型植株相比较低而脯氨酸含量显著增加,AVP1基因可通过减轻逆境对甜菜细胞膜的损伤及提高甜菜细胞的渗透调节能力,进而增强甜菜对高盐和干旱胁迫的抗性。     

Evaluation of oxidative stress tolerance in maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings in response to drought

Seedlings of selected six genotypes of maize (Zea mays L.) differing in their drought sensitivity (LM5 and Parkash drought-tolerant and PMH2, JH3459, Paras and LM14 as drought-sensitive) were exposed to 72 h drought stress at two leaf stage. Alterations in their antioxidant pools combined with activities of enzymes involved in defense against oxidative stress were investigated in leaves. Activities of some reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging enzymes, catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were enhanced in tolerant genotypes in response to drought stress. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly decreased in sensitive genotypes, but remained unchanged in tolerant genotypes under stress. Peroxidase (POX) activity was significantly induced in tolerant, as well as sensitive genotypes. Imposition of stress led to increase in H2O2 and malondialdehyde (MDA, a marker for lipid peroxidation) content in sensitive genotypes, while in tolerant genotypes no change was observed. Significant increase in glutathione content was observed in sensitive genotypes. Ascorbic acid pool was induced in both tolerant and sensitive genotypes, but induction was more pronounced in tolerant genotypes. Significant activation of antioxidative defence mechanisms correlated with drought-induced oxidative stress tolerance was the characteristic of the drought tolerant genotypes. These studies provide a mechanism for drought tolerance in maize seedlings.     

Generation and analysis of drought stressed subtracted expressed sequence tags from safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Drought is the most crucial environmental factor that limits productivity of many crop plants. Exploring novel genes and gene combinations is of primary importance in plant drought tolerance research. Stress tolerant genotypes/species are known to express novel stress responsive genes with unique functional significance. Hence, identification and characterization of stress responsive genes from these tolerant species might be a reliable option to engineer the drought tolerance. Safflower has been found to be a relatively drought tolerant crop and thus, it has been the choice of study to characterize the genes expressed under drought stress. In the present study, we have evaluated differential drought tolerance of two cultivars of safflower namely, A1 and Nira using selective physiological marker traits and we have identified cultivar A1 as relatively drought tolerant. To identify the drought responsive genes, we have constructed a stress subtracted cDNA library from cultivar A1 following subtractive hybridization. Analysis of?~1,300 cDNA clones resulted in the identification of 667 unique drought responsive ESTs. Protein homology search revealed that 521 (78?%) out of 667 ESTs showed significant similarity to known sequences in the database and majority of them previously identified as drought stress-related genes and were found to be involved in a variety of cellular functions ranging from stress perception to cellular protection. Remaining 146 (22?%) ESTs were not homologous to known sequences in the database and therefore, they were considered to be unique and novel drought responsive genes of safflower. Since safflower is a stress-adapted oil-seed crop this observation has great relevance. In addition, to validate the differential expression of the identified genes, expression profiles of selected clones were analyzed using dot blot (reverse northern), and northern blot analysis. We showed that these clones were differentially expressed under different abiotic stress conditions. The implications of the analyzed genes in abiotic stress tolerance are discussed in our study.     

An integrative proteome analysis of different seedling organs in tolerant and sensitive wheat cultivars under drought stress and recovery

Roots, leaves, and intermediate sections between roots and leaves (ISRL) of wheat seedlings show different physiological functions at the protein level. We performed the first integrative proteomic analysis of different tissues of the drought‐tolerant wheat cultivar Hanxuan 10 (HX‐10) and drought‐sensitive cultivar Chinese Spring (CS) during a simulated drought and recovery. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the roots (122), ISRLs (146), and leaves (163) showed significant changes in expression in response to drought stress and recovery. Numerous DEPs associated with cell defense and detoxifications were significantly regulated in roots and ISRLs, while in leaves, DEPs related to photosynthesis showed significant changes in expression. A significantly larger number of DEPs related to stress defense were upregulated in HX‐10 than in CS. Expression of six HSPs potentially related to drought tolerance was significantly upregulated under drought conditions, and these proteins were involved in a complex protein–protein interaction network. Further phosphorylation analysis showed that the phosphorylation levels of HSP60, HSP90, and HOP were upregulated in HX‐10 under drought stress. We present an overview of metabolic pathways in wheat seedlings based on abscisic acid signaling and important protein expression patterns.