Impact of soil compaction stress combined with drought or waterlogging on physiological and biochemical markers in two maize hybrids

Agnieszka Ostrowska,Franciszek Janowiak,Katarzyna Kaczanowska,Maciej T Grzesiak,Andrzej Rzepka,Stanisław Grzesiak,Piotr Szczyrek,Tomasz Hura,Grzegorz Rut

doi:10.1007/s11738-016-2128-4

Abstract

In field conditions plants undergo combinations of stresses like soil compaction combined with soil drought or flooding. In maize there exists an intraspecific variation in responses to environmental stresses, e.g. drought, flooding and soil compaction. In this study seedlings of two maize hybrids (sensitive and resistant to soil compaction) were grown under low, moderate and high soil compaction levels and drought or flooding. Water potential, electrolyte leakage, chlorophyll a content, gas exchange, ABA and antioxidant activity were measured. In seedlings exposed to different soil compaction levels differences between soil, leaf and root water potentials were observed at noon and later in the day. Significant differences between hybrids grown in low and severe soil compactions and exposed to drought or flooding were noticed in membrane injury, leaf water potential, chlorophyll a content and gas exchange parameters. Statistically significant differences between hybrids were observed in ABA content in the stem under severe and in the root under low soil compaction and exposed to drought and flooding, and in antioxidant activity in leaf under severe soil compaction and under low soil compaction with drought or flooding stresses. Further studies on physiological responses of genotypes contrasting in tolerance to different stresses would help us explore stress tolerance mechanisms.

Highlights

In field conditions plants undergo combinations of stresses like soil compaction combined with flooding or drought
In both soil compaction treatments and in waterlogging conditions the changes of wR and water potential (wL) were lower in comparison with drought conditions (Fig. 2)
Our results suggest that the reduction in plant biomass under high soil compaction is related to chlorophyll content (SPAD) and gas exchange rate (PN, E, gS) and to changes in wL and in membrane injury (Tables 2, 3)

Summary

Introduction

In field conditions plants undergo combinations of stresses like soil compaction combined with flooding or drought. Elevated level of soil compaction can be a result of many natural processes and excessive use of heavy machinery in cultivation (Jones et al 1989; McKersie and Lesheim 1994; Masle 2002; Ashraf 2010; Grzesiak 2016). Important factors affecting plant development under soil compaction are water status, soil aeration and resistance. In the conditions of high compaction plant growth is restricted and plants become more vulnerable to unfavourable soil water content resulting from too little or too much rain. The main result of high compaction stress is a decrease in the size of roots and the above-ground part of the plant In the conditions of high compaction plant growth is restricted and plants become more vulnerable to unfavourable soil water content resulting from too little or too much rain. (Ripley et al 2007; Chen and Weil 2010; Grzesiak 2016).

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion