Trade-off strategies of individual clonal reproductive traits in Chinese wildrye (Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel) under NaCl stress

Zhan-Wu GAO; Yan-Hui CUI; Ming CAO; Li-Jie HE; Ying-Qi QIN; Meng-Yuan BAI; Xin-Ning LI; Qian LI; Jin-Yu LIU; Ge GAO; Yong-Guang MU; Chun-Sheng MU

doi:10.15835/nbha53314386

Authors

Zhan-Wu GAO Baicheng Normal University, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Western Jilin Clean Energy, Baicheng, 137000 (CN)
Yan-Hui CUI Baicheng Normal University, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Western Jilin Clean Energy, Baicheng, 137000 (CN)
Ming CAO Northeast Normal University, College of Life Sciences, Institute of Grassland Science, Changchun, 130024 (CN)
Li-Jie HE Baicheng Normal University, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Western Jilin Clean Energy, Baicheng, 137000 (CN)
Ying-Qi QIN Baicheng Normal University, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Western Jilin Clean Energy, Baicheng, 137000 (CN)
Meng-Yuan BAI Baicheng Normal University, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Western Jilin Clean Energy, Baicheng, 137000 (CN)
Xin-Ning LI Baicheng Normal University, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Western Jilin Clean Energy, Baicheng, 137000 (CN)
Qian LI Hubei Xianning Oriental Foreign Language School, Xianning, 437000 (CN)
Jin-Yu LIU Qianjin Township Nine-Year School, Jiahe, Jilin, Jiaohe, 132517 (CN)
Ge GAO Baicheng Normal University, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Western Jilin Clean Energy, Baicheng, 137000 (CN)
Yong-Guang MU Jilin Normal University, School of Life Sciences, Siping, 136000 (CN)
Chun-Sheng MU Northeast Normal University, College of Life Sciences, Institute of Grassland Science, Changchun (CN)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha53314386

Keywords:

clone (asexual) propagation, Leymus chinensis, leaf traits, root architecture, salt stress

Abstract

Soil salinity is a serious abiotic stress negatively affecting crop productivity and threatening the global food security. The extent of salt affected soils is continuously increasing due to poor irrigation, improper agricultural practices, and over-fertilization. This study was conducted to investigate the adaptive characteristics of individual growth and the changes of clonal components against salinity stress. The experiment was comprised of different treatments; control, 100 and 200 mmol L^-1 salt stress. The results indicate that increasing concentration of salt stress decreased the individual plant biomass, leaf biomass and underground biomass, and increased stem biomass and plant height. Moreover, at 200 mmol L^-1 the diameter and volume of the underground parts showed a small reduction whilst length and area of the underground part increased significantly. Besides this Leymus chinensis reduced the input of leaves and various seed plants, allocated more energy to the underground roots, and adopted the root configuration strategy of fine root extension to increase the length, area and volume of the roots. Under high concentration of salt stress; the underground bud reservoir expanded continuously, but the upward output was slightly decreased. This indicates that bud bank was expanded to prepare for reproduction, but the continuous salt stress seriously interfered with the underground clonal components of L. chinensis, and the nutrients and energy synthesized by cells were insufficient to support the continuous extension of rhizostems and the development of daughter plants. In conclusion, salt stress is majorly contributing to decrease the growth and biomass production of L. chinensis, however, salt had more pronounced negative impacts on upward growth as compared to underground growth.

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