Abstract
Water availability is one of the most important factors for the growth of tree seedlings in forestry-related regions. We hypothesized that under different water regimes, a water-retaining polymer (hydrogel) can positively contribute to chlorophyll- a fluorescence and growth in Campomanesia xanthocarpa (Mart.) O. Berg. Four water retention capacities (WRC) were evaluated: 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, depending on the presence or absence of hydrogel at the substrate. The lowest WRCs, particularly those under 25% without hydrogel, reduced chlorophyll index and negatively affected the photochemical activities of photosystem II. However, under low water availability the hydrogel mitigated the damage inflicted on the reaction centers and chlorophyll synthesis. The greatest growth effects occurred at 100% WRC in the presence of the hydrogel. Physiological indices were higher under 100% WRC without hydrogel and 50% with hydrogel. The increase in biomass and Dickson quality were more pronounced in the seedlings produced under 50% WRC and hydrogel, and the addition of these parameters to the substrate contributed to more viable morphophysiological indicators for the production of C. xanthocarpa seedlings.
Highlights
In areas of forest recomposition/degradation or regions involved in the formation of integrated sustainable base production systems, water availability in the soil is a determining factor for the growth and initial establishment of tree species seedlings
The water regimes affected the photochemical characteristics of photosynthesis and initial growth of C. xanthocarpa seedlings, and the lower water retention capacities (WRC) of 25% and 50% in the substrate produced lower values, indicating a water deficit; the addition of the water-retaining polymer (WRP) contributed to mitigating the damage caused to the various indicators evaluated, under low water availability, which corroborates our hypothesis
Seedlings produced under 25% and 50% WRC without Water-retaining polymers (WRP) showed a lower chlorophyll index (Figure 1a), while those under 25% WRC with WRP showed an increase in this measure, with values close to those of seedlings with 75% or 100% WRC without WRP
Summary
In areas of forest recomposition/degradation or regions involved in the formation of integrated sustainable base production systems, water availability in the soil is a determining factor for the growth and initial establishment of tree species seedlings. With the reduction of water availability in the soil, the growth characteristics of seedlings are reduced due to instability of the leaf metabolism and damage to the reaction centers of photosystem II (PS II) (Khatri & Rathore, 2019; Reis et al, 2020), impeding the initial formation. The composition base of the hydrogel contains polyacrylamide, which when incorporated into the soil, promotes aeration and drainage improvements and reduces nutrient leaching (Azevedo et al, 2002; Freitas et al, 2019), contributing to root and other vegetative organ growth through the stability of metabolic processes and the prevention of plant dehydration
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