Abstract:

A national second-class protected food and medicinal plant, Lycium ruthenicum grows in Northwest China’s arid, arid-land climate. At various elevation populations in southern Xinjiang, China, this species produces flat and spherical fruit individuals and noticeably varied heteromorphic fruit individuals. We studied seed sets and their quality, seed germination and dormancy, and drought stress responses of both types of fruits from different elevation populations in laboratory settings, as well as the adaptive strategies of this species in different climate weather populations at southern Xinjiang to better understand how the heteromorphic fruit of this species adapted to its different climate desert habitat. Flat fruits had a larger seed set than globular fruits. Moreover, the seed set was reduced for both types of fruits with the increasing elevation, while seed quality improved for the same as elevation increased. The ability of seeds to absorb water is greater in low-elevation populations than in high-elevation populations, and the ability of seeds in flat fruit to absorb water is greater than that of globular fruit. The major elements that were employed to disrupt L. ruthenicum seed dormancy and increase seed germination were high temperature (20-30 °C), low concentration (0.1 mmol·L^-1 of GA₃), and dark mode circumstances. The drought resistance of globular fruit seeds in low-elevation populations was greater than that of high-elevation populations, and they were 30% more susceptible to drought stress.

Key words: Lycium ruthenicum, heteromorphic fruit, seed dormancy, bet-hedgeing, adaptive strategy, elevation