Effects of Soil Water Deficit on Three Tree Species of the Arid Environment: Variations in Growth, Physiology, and Antioxidant Enzyme Activities

• Main Authors: Fahad Rasheed, Adnan Gondal, Kamziah Abdul Kudus, Zikria Zafar, Muhammad Farrakh Nawaz, Waseem Razzaq Khan, Muhammad Abdullah, Faridah Hanum Ibrahim, Claire Depardieu, Ahmad Mustapha Mohamad Pazi, Khayyam Anjum, Shazia Afzal, Seemab Akram, Mohd Nazre
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: <i>Conocarpus</i>; <i>Acacia</i>; <i>Salix</i>; biomass production; proline content; reactive oxygen species
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/6/3336

Low water availability predicted under climate change is a major abiotic factor limiting plants growth and productivity. In this study a greenhouse experiment was conducted on three important tree species of arid environment: <i>Conocarpus erectus</i> (<i>CE</i>), <i>Acacia modesta</i> (<i>AM</i>), and <i>Salix tetrasperma</i> (<i>ST</i>). Young saplings were subjected to control (C), medium (MWD) and severe soil water deficit (SWD) treatments and response was evaluated. Results showed that in all the three species leaf, stem and root dry weight production remained similar to C under MWD treatment but decreased significantly under SWD. The highest decrease in total dry weight was noticed in <i>ST</i> and the lowest was evidenced in <i>AM</i> under SWD. Root:shoot ratio increased significantly in both CE and AM under MWD and SWD. Furthermore, chlorophyll content decreased while proline content increased significantly in both MWD and SWD treatments. The production of oxidants (hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anions) and antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase) increased significantly under both MWD and SWD treatments and were the highest in <i>AM</i> in both MWD and SWD treatments. Therefore, we may conclude that all the three species can tolerate medium water stress due to increased root production and an effective antioxidant defense mechanism.