Arid Zone Research ›› 2024, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (5): 830-842.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2024.05.11

• Plant Ecology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Seed germination and seedling growth of typical sand-fixing plants in response to soil moisture

YANG Zhuqing1,2,3,4(), WANG Lei1,2,3,4, ZHANG Xue1,2,3,4(), SHEN Jianxiang1,2,3,4, ZHANG Yijing1,2,3,4, LI Xinyu1,2,3,4, ZHANG Bo5, NIU Jinshuai5   

  1. 1. School of Ecology and Environment, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
    2. Breeding Base for Sate Key Lab oratory of Land Degradation and Ecological Restoration in Northwestern China, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
    3. Key La boratory for Restoration and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystems in Northwestern China of Ministry of Education, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
    4. The National Positioning Observation and Research Station for the Yellow River Wetland Ecosystem, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
    5. Ningxia Zhongwei Shapotou National Nature Reserve Administration, Zhongwei 755000, Ningxia, China
  • Received:2023-11-04 Revised:2024-01-02 Online:2024-05-15 Published:2024-05-29

Abstract:

Seed germination and the seedling growth of sand-fixing plants are decisive aspects of land desertification management, and soil moisture is the main limiting factor affecting these aspects. In this study, we compared and analyzed the seed germination of three sand-fixing plants under different moisture gradients (4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) in an indoor potting experiment using Hedysarum scoparium, Caragana korshinskii, and Artemisia desertorum to investigate the response of seed germination and seedling growth of sand-fixing plants to changes soil in moisture. The results showed that: (1) significant differences (P<0.05) were observed in the seed germination characteristics of the three sand-fixing plants as the soil moisture increased. The germination rates tended to increase and then decrease as the soil moisture increased. C. scoparium had the highest germination rate at 15% and 20% soil moisture (83.00% in both); C. korshinskii had the highest germination rate at 10% soil moisture (73.00%); and the seed germination rate of A. desertorum reached the maximum value of 77.50% at 15% soil moisture, and then slowly decreased, although the change was not significant. (2) The leaf area and root length of the three plants showed tended to first increase and then decrease as the soil moisture increased, and the specific leaf area and root:crown ratio tended to decrease and then increase. (3) The highest biomass of C. scoparium, C. korshinski, and A. desertorum seedlings was 0.0733 g, 0.1142 g, and 0.0363 g at 10%, 8%, and 20% soil moisture, respectively, and the aboveground biomass was significantly higher than the belowground biomass (P<0.05), although the allocation of belowground biomass by C. korshinski seedlings was higher than that of C. scoparium and A. desertorum. (4) The SOD activity, POD activity, CAT activity, Pro content, SS content, and Chl content of the three sand-fixing plants tended to increase and then decrease as the soil moisture increased, whereas the MDA content, membrane permeability, and relative water content tended to decrease and then increase. Based on the above results, it was concluded that the three sand-fixing plants of C. scoparium, C. korshinski, and A. desertorum had the best seedling growth at 15%, 8% and 8% soil moisture, respectively, through the analysis of the affiliation function method. Therefore, when these three sand-fixing plants are used for vegetation restoration, the changes in soil moisture caused by rainfall conditions should be fully considered in addition to the seeds’ own traits to improve the seedling emergence rate and the success of seedling growth.

Key words: soil moisture stress, pot experiment, seed germination, seedling growth, phenotype