The Physiological Basis of Alfalfa Plant Height Establishment
Plant height plays an important role in crop yield, product quality, and cultivation management. However, the physiological mechanisms that regulate the establishment of plant height in alfalfa plants remain unclear. Herein, we measured plant height traits, leaf characteristics, photosynthetic physi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/5/679 |
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| author | Fang Jing Shangli Shi Wenjuan Kang Jian Guan Baofu Lu Bei Wu Wenjuan Wang |
| author_facet | Fang Jing Shangli Shi Wenjuan Kang Jian Guan Baofu Lu Bei Wu Wenjuan Wang |
| author_sort | Fang Jing |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plant height plays an important role in crop yield, product quality, and cultivation management. However, the physiological mechanisms that regulate the establishment of plant height in alfalfa plants remain unclear. Herein, we measured plant height traits, leaf characteristics, photosynthetic physiology, cell wall composition, and endogenous hormone contents of tall- and short-stalked alfalfa materials at different reproductive periods. We analyzed the physiology responsible for differences in plant height. The results demonstrated that the number of internodes in tall- and short-stalked alfalfa materials tended to converge with the advancement of the fertility period. Meanwhile, the average internode length (IL) of tall-stalked materials was significantly higher than that of short-stalked materials at different fertility periods, with internode length identified as the main trait determining the differences in alfalfa plant height. Leaf characteristics, which are closely related to photosynthetic capacity, are crucial energy sources supporting the expression of plant height traits, and we found that an increase in the number of leaves contributed to a proportional increase in plant height. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was observed between plant height and leaf dry weight per plant during the branching and early flowering stages of alfalfa. The leaves of alfalfa affect plant height through photosynthesis, with the budding stage identified as the key period for efficient light energy utilization. Plant height at the budding stage showed a significant positive correlation with soluble sugar (SS) content and a significant negative correlation with intercellular CO<sub>2</sub> concentration. Moreover, we found that alfalfa plant height was significantly correlated with the contents of indole-3-acetic acid in stem tips (SIAA), gibberellin A<sub>3</sub> in leaves (LGA<sub>3</sub>), zeatin in stem tips (SZT), and abscisic acid in leaves (LABA). Further investigation revealed that SS, SIAA, and LGA<sub>3</sub> contents were important physiological indicators affecting alfalfa plant height. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the formation of alfalfa plant height traits and for genetic improvement studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:22:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c7e445879bb34c619422a3580fd1ff57 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:22:34Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-c7e445879bb34c619422a3580fd1ff572024-03-12T16:52:56ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472024-02-0113567910.3390/plants13050679The Physiological Basis of Alfalfa Plant Height EstablishmentFang Jing0Shangli Shi1Wenjuan Kang2Jian Guan3Baofu Lu4Bei Wu5Wenjuan Wang6Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of Ministry of Education, College of Pratacultural Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaKey Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of Ministry of Education, College of Pratacultural Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaKey Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of Ministry of Education, College of Pratacultural Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaKey Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of Ministry of Education, College of Pratacultural Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaKey Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of Ministry of Education, College of Pratacultural Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaKey Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of Ministry of Education, College of Pratacultural Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaKey Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of Ministry of Education, College of Pratacultural Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaPlant height plays an important role in crop yield, product quality, and cultivation management. However, the physiological mechanisms that regulate the establishment of plant height in alfalfa plants remain unclear. Herein, we measured plant height traits, leaf characteristics, photosynthetic physiology, cell wall composition, and endogenous hormone contents of tall- and short-stalked alfalfa materials at different reproductive periods. We analyzed the physiology responsible for differences in plant height. The results demonstrated that the number of internodes in tall- and short-stalked alfalfa materials tended to converge with the advancement of the fertility period. Meanwhile, the average internode length (IL) of tall-stalked materials was significantly higher than that of short-stalked materials at different fertility periods, with internode length identified as the main trait determining the differences in alfalfa plant height. Leaf characteristics, which are closely related to photosynthetic capacity, are crucial energy sources supporting the expression of plant height traits, and we found that an increase in the number of leaves contributed to a proportional increase in plant height. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was observed between plant height and leaf dry weight per plant during the branching and early flowering stages of alfalfa. The leaves of alfalfa affect plant height through photosynthesis, with the budding stage identified as the key period for efficient light energy utilization. Plant height at the budding stage showed a significant positive correlation with soluble sugar (SS) content and a significant negative correlation with intercellular CO<sub>2</sub> concentration. Moreover, we found that alfalfa plant height was significantly correlated with the contents of indole-3-acetic acid in stem tips (SIAA), gibberellin A<sub>3</sub> in leaves (LGA<sub>3</sub>), zeatin in stem tips (SZT), and abscisic acid in leaves (LABA). Further investigation revealed that SS, SIAA, and LGA<sub>3</sub> contents were important physiological indicators affecting alfalfa plant height. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the formation of alfalfa plant height traits and for genetic improvement studies.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/5/679plant height traitsleaf characteristicsphotosynthetic physiologyendogenous hormonesreproductive period |
| spellingShingle | Fang Jing Shangli Shi Wenjuan Kang Jian Guan Baofu Lu Bei Wu Wenjuan Wang The Physiological Basis of Alfalfa Plant Height Establishment Plants plant height traits leaf characteristics photosynthetic physiology endogenous hormones reproductive period |
| title | The Physiological Basis of Alfalfa Plant Height Establishment |
| title_full | The Physiological Basis of Alfalfa Plant Height Establishment |
| title_fullStr | The Physiological Basis of Alfalfa Plant Height Establishment |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Physiological Basis of Alfalfa Plant Height Establishment |
| title_short | The Physiological Basis of Alfalfa Plant Height Establishment |
| title_sort | physiological basis of alfalfa plant height establishment |
| topic | plant height traits leaf characteristics photosynthetic physiology endogenous hormones reproductive period |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/5/679 |
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