Tolerance to Drought and Water Stress Resistance Mechanism of Castor Bean

Castor bean (<i>Ricinus communis</i> L.) is a multipurpose crop; its oil has numerous applications worldwide and the last decade demonstrated a growing international demand. The aim of this work was to investigate the level of castor bean tolerance to drought and its possession of a wate...

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Main Authors: Eleni G. Papazoglou, Efthymia Alexopoulou, George K. Papadopoulos, Garifalia Economou-Antonaka
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
Series:Agronomy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/10/1580
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author Eleni G. Papazoglou
Efthymia Alexopoulou
George K. Papadopoulos
Garifalia Economou-Antonaka
author_facet Eleni G. Papazoglou
Efthymia Alexopoulou
George K. Papadopoulos
Garifalia Economou-Antonaka
author_sort Eleni G. Papazoglou
collection DOAJ
description Castor bean (<i>Ricinus communis</i> L.) is a multipurpose crop; its oil has numerous applications worldwide and the last decade demonstrated a growing international demand. The aim of this work was to investigate the level of castor bean tolerance to drought and its possession of a water stress resistance mechanism by applying three different water regimes in a glasshouse pot experiment conducted for two years. The treatments applied were 70% (T<sub>70</sub>-control), 55% (T<sub>55</sub>) and 40% (T<sub>40</sub>) of the available soil moisture. The results showed that the growth parameters height, trunk diameter, and fresh and dry weights of leaves and stems were not affected by the moderate water scarcity (T<sub>55</sub>), while they were significantly decreased by T<sub>40</sub>. Significant decrease in leaf number was observed in both T<sub>55</sub> (17%) and T<sub>40</sub> (27%) plants, with a delay of 4 weeks in the lower treated plants. Leaf area was decreased by 54% and 20% in T<sub>55</sub> and T<sub>40</sub> respectively, indicating that its reduction was mainly due to a reduction of leaf size than of leaf number. The leaf water potential was increased negatively with increasing stress, showing a water loss and decrease of turgidity in cells. Stomatal resistance was significantly higher at the higher water scarcity and this response indicates a water stress resistance mechanism. This result was also confirmed by the regression analysis performed between stomatal resistance and leaf water potential. In conclusion, castor bean showed a tolerance ability under water stress conditions and its early physiological reaction allows its acclimatization to drought conditions.
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spelling doaj.art-7795278c40b64d76bee0b2be5b14a17b2023-11-20T17:18:54ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952020-10-011010158010.3390/agronomy10101580Tolerance to Drought and Water Stress Resistance Mechanism of Castor BeanEleni G. Papazoglou0Efthymia Alexopoulou1George K. Papadopoulos2Garifalia Economou-Antonaka3Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos st., 11855 Athens, GreeceCentre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving, 19th km Marathonos Avenue, 19009 Pikermi, GreeceDepartment of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos st., 11855 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos st., 11855 Athens, GreeceCastor bean (<i>Ricinus communis</i> L.) is a multipurpose crop; its oil has numerous applications worldwide and the last decade demonstrated a growing international demand. The aim of this work was to investigate the level of castor bean tolerance to drought and its possession of a water stress resistance mechanism by applying three different water regimes in a glasshouse pot experiment conducted for two years. The treatments applied were 70% (T<sub>70</sub>-control), 55% (T<sub>55</sub>) and 40% (T<sub>40</sub>) of the available soil moisture. The results showed that the growth parameters height, trunk diameter, and fresh and dry weights of leaves and stems were not affected by the moderate water scarcity (T<sub>55</sub>), while they were significantly decreased by T<sub>40</sub>. Significant decrease in leaf number was observed in both T<sub>55</sub> (17%) and T<sub>40</sub> (27%) plants, with a delay of 4 weeks in the lower treated plants. Leaf area was decreased by 54% and 20% in T<sub>55</sub> and T<sub>40</sub> respectively, indicating that its reduction was mainly due to a reduction of leaf size than of leaf number. The leaf water potential was increased negatively with increasing stress, showing a water loss and decrease of turgidity in cells. Stomatal resistance was significantly higher at the higher water scarcity and this response indicates a water stress resistance mechanism. This result was also confirmed by the regression analysis performed between stomatal resistance and leaf water potential. In conclusion, castor bean showed a tolerance ability under water stress conditions and its early physiological reaction allows its acclimatization to drought conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/10/1580<i>Ricinus communis</i> L.water scarcityleaf water potentialstomatal resistanceleaf areagrowth parameters
spellingShingle Eleni G. Papazoglou
Efthymia Alexopoulou
George K. Papadopoulos
Garifalia Economou-Antonaka
Tolerance to Drought and Water Stress Resistance Mechanism of Castor Bean
Agronomy
<i>Ricinus communis</i> L.
water scarcity
leaf water potential
stomatal resistance
leaf area
growth parameters
title Tolerance to Drought and Water Stress Resistance Mechanism of Castor Bean
title_full Tolerance to Drought and Water Stress Resistance Mechanism of Castor Bean
title_fullStr Tolerance to Drought and Water Stress Resistance Mechanism of Castor Bean
title_full_unstemmed Tolerance to Drought and Water Stress Resistance Mechanism of Castor Bean
title_short Tolerance to Drought and Water Stress Resistance Mechanism of Castor Bean
title_sort tolerance to drought and water stress resistance mechanism of castor bean
topic <i>Ricinus communis</i> L.
water scarcity
leaf water potential
stomatal resistance
leaf area
growth parameters
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/10/1580
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