Abstract
It’s known that drought affects crop growth, however, little is known about the physiological responses developed under these conditions by underexploited species, such as Physalis angulata. This study aimed at assessing the physiological responses of Physalis angulata plants after 40 days under different water availability (100%, 80%, 60%, 40% and 20% of pot field capacity). In this research, the effects of the water deficit on the relative water content, water potential, gas exchange, sugars accumulation and activity of nitrate reductase were evaluated. Water relations were affected mainly in plants under severe water deficit, however, the variables remained stable when cultivated at sub-optimal levels of field capacity. Gas exchanges were also affected by water deficit, with reduction in carbon assimilation, internal carbon, stomatal conductance and transpiration, as well as increased leaf temperature and water use efficiency. Plants accumulated sugars as a mechanism of tolerance to severe water deficit, while nitrate reductase activity was reduced. P. angulata plants develop important strategies to tolerate water deficit, contributing to the establishment of crops under low water availability.
Highlights
Drought is a major abiotic stress limiting plant growth and productivity (Meng, Zhanga, Sua, Lia, & Zhaoa, 2016), especially in arid and semi-arid regions
Seedlings were produced from seeds obtained from matrices of Physalis angulata belonging to the research group
A maintenance suboptimal soil water content alters the plants water relations (Puértolas, Larsen, Davies, & Dodd, 2017), which was evidenced by the reduction in relative water content and water potential in plants grown with 20% of water availability (Figure 2)
Summary
Drought is a major abiotic stress limiting plant growth and productivity (Meng, Zhanga, Sua, Lia, & Zhaoa, 2016), especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Drylands comprise approximately 40% of the terrestrial globe (Schlaepfer et al, 2017) and are characterized by great biodiversity, as well as providing plant genetic resources of regional interest and potential for exploitation, such as the species Physalis angulata (Solanaceae), of natural occurrence in the Brazilian semi-arid region. Physalis is an American genus of interest for agriculture, since several species provide bittersweet fruits, characterized by inflated and persistent calyxes that cover the berries (Vargas-Ponce, Martínez, Tavares, & Mares, 2016). Physalis peruviana and Physalis ixocarpa are the most cultivated and marketed species, in most of the countries of Central and South America (Mokhtar, Swailam, & Embaby, 2017; Morales-Contreras, Rosas-Flores, Contreras-Esquivel, Wicker, & Morales-Castro, 2017), making P. angulata an alternative for insertion in growth of small fruits
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