Impact of water deficit on the development and senescence of tomato roots grown under various soil textures of Shaanxi, China

Husain Ahmad,Jianming Li

doi:10.1186/s12870-021-03018-1

Husain Ahmad, Jianming Li

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-021-03018-1

Copy DOI

Abstract

PurposeWater scarcity is expected to extend to more regions of the world and represents an alarming threat to food security worldwide. Under such circumstances, water holding capacity is an important agronomic trait, which is primarily controlled by soil texture.MethodsOur work examined three different soil textures from three cities of Shaanxi Province in China, i.e., silt-sandy loam from Yulin (north of Shaanxi), loam—clay loam from Yangling (middle and western part of Shaanxi), and clay loam-clay from Hanzhong soil (south of Shaanxi), at two moisture levels, i.e., field capacity of 70–75% (well-watered) and 50–55% (water deficit).ResultsThe differences in soil particle sizes altered the soil physiochemical properties and soil enzymatic activities. Soil urease and ß-glucosidase activities were significantly higher in the Yangling soil under the well-watered treatment, while the differences were nonsignificant under the water deficit conditions. The leaf photosynthesis rate and total chlorophyll content were significantly higher in Hanzhong soil after 15 days of treatment; however, the overall highest plant length, root cortex diameter, and xylem element abundance were significantly higher in Yangling soil under the water deficit conditions. Furthermore, comparable differences were observed in antioxidant defence enzymes and endogenous hormones after every 15 days of treatments. The auxin, gibberellic acid and cytokinin concentrations in leaves and roots were comparably high in Yangling soil, while the abscisic acid concentrations were higher in Hanzhong soil under the water deficit conditions.ConclusionsOur findings concluded that soil compaction has a significant role not only in root morphology, growth, and development but also in the soil physicochemical properties and nutrient cycle, which are useful for the growth and development of tomato plants.

Highlights

Limited water availability is expected to extend to more regions due to growing food demands and increasing freshwater scarcity [1]
The highest total root length, area, and number under the water deficit conditions were observed in Yangling soil, while the highest total root volume and root diameter were observed in Yulin soil
Our findings indicate that soil texture and water deficit conditions have an important role in tomato plant root growth and development

Summary

Introduction

Limited water availability is expected to extend to more regions due to growing food demands and increasing freshwater scarcity [1]. Plants have developed sophisticated mechanisms of defence with immediate responses to stress conditions, among which the plant enzymatic antioxidant defence systems play an important role in enhancing tolerance to plants [5]. Studies have proven that the balance of the redox status of the roots is important for cell division and multiplication in the root apical meristem or that it may interfere with the biosynthesis and transport of hormones, especially auxin. Abscisic acid (ABA) in plants plays a pivotal role in drought resistance, and it can effectively regulate stomatal closure, reduce transpiration, increase the activity of the antioxidant system and improve the efficiency of ROS scavenging [11, 12]. The concentrations of gibberellic acid (GA3), cytokinin (CTK), and auxin (IAA) were increased with the higher activity of antioxidant defence enzymes in plants [13]. Evidence shows that ABA crosstalk occurs with other hormones at the transcriptional level, which influences plant physiological responses to stress conditions [14]

Methods

Results

Conclusion