Influence of severe drought on mineral nutrient status in eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L)

Abstract

The photochemical process of photosynthesis is significantly influenced by the availability of nutrients. The purpose of this research is to ascertain how photosynthetic pigment function is affected by nutrient elemental changes caused by severe drought stress. Using elemental analysis, we looked at the changes in mineral nutrient composition in eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L) seedlings 32 days after drought treatment. According to our findings, severe drought resulted in a significant and non-significant decrease in the contents of Chl “b and a”, respectively. The elemental composition of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) was measured. After severe drought treatment, leaf nutrient status showed a significant decline in total N (control-1.57 ± 0.1; drought-0.65 ± 0.07), P (control-959.4 ± 17; drought-645 ± 46), Mg (control-1030.4 ± 33; drought-750.7 ± 76), and K (control-3062.5 ± 32; drought-1853.3 ± 198), with a non-significant decrease in leaf Fe (control-120.3 ± 20; drought-98.9 ± 28) and increase in leaf Zn (control-33.49 ± 2; drought-39.05 ± 4). A positive correlation was found between the content of Fe, P, Mg, K, and N in leaf Chl “b”, but only a positive correlation was found between the content of Zn in leaf Chl “a” during severe drought. During severe drought, nutrient reallocation has a significant impact on leaf chlorophyll levels, as evidenced by this correlation.