Morphological, Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Gerbera Cultivars to Heat Stress

Abstract

Heat stress is an agricultural problem for Gerbera jamesonii, and it often causes poor seedling growth, reduced flower yield and undesirable ornamental characteristics of flowers. However, little is known about the effect of heat stress on the morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics of gerbera plants. Here, the responses of six cultivars of Gerbera jamesonii to heat stress were investigated. Under a 1-d heat treatment at 45°C, the leaves of gerbera cultivars showed yellowing, wilting, drying and death to varying degrees. The heat treatment also resulted in increased electrical conductivity, decreased soluble protein and chlorophyll contents, and the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline in leaves. Moreover, heat tolerance differed among the six tested gerbera cultivars. Our results demonstrated that among the six gerbera cultivars, ‘Meihongheixin’ is a heat-resistant cultivar, whereas ‘Beijixing’ is a heatsensitive one. ‘Shijihong’ and ‘Linglong’ are relatively heat-resistant cultivars, and ‘Dadifen’ and ‘Taiyangfengbao’ are relatively heat sensitive.