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Effects of soil drought stress on photosynthetic gas exchange traits and chlorophyll fluorescence in Forsythia suspensa

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Abstract

To clarify the changes in plant photosynthesis and mechanisms underlying those responses to gradually increasing soil drought stress and reveal quantitative relationships between photosynthesis and soil moisture, soil water conditions were controlled in greenhouse pot experiments using 2-year-old seedlings of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl. Photosynthetic gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence variables were measured and analyzed under 13 gradients of soil water content. Net photosynthetic rate (P N), stomatal conductance (g s), and water-use efficiency (W UE) in the seedlings exhibited a clear threshold response to the relative soil water content (R SWC). The highest P N and W UE occurred at R SWC of 51.84 and 64.10%, respectively. Both P N and W UE were higher than the average levels at 39.79% ≤ R SWC ≤ 73.04%. When R SWC decreased from 51.84 to 37.52%, P N, g s, and the intercellular CO2 concentration (C i) markedly decreased with increasing drought stress; the corresponding stomatal limitation (L s) substantially increased, and nonphotochemical quenching (N PQ) also tended to increase, indicating that within this range of soil water content, excessive excitation energy was dispersed from photosystem II (PSII) in the form of heat, and the reduction in P N was primarily due to stomatal limitation. While R SWC decreased below 37.52%, there were significant decreases in the maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (F v/F m) and the effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII), photochemical quenching (q P), and N PQ; in contrast, minimal fluorescence yield of the dark-adapted state (F 0) increased markedly. Thus, the major limiting factor for the P N reduction changed to a nonstomatal limitation due to PSII damage. Therefore, an R SWC of 37.52% is the maximum allowable water deficit for the normal growth of seedlings of F. suspensa, and a water content lower than this level should be avoided in field soil water management. Water contents should be maintained in the range of 39.79% ≤ R SWC ≤ 73.04% to ensure normal function of the photosynthetic apparatus and high levels of photosynthesis and efficiency in F. suspensa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water and Soil Conservation and Environmental Protection/College of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Linyi University, Linyi, 276000, People’s Republic of China

    Ying Lang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology/Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China

    Ming Wang

  3. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for Yellow River Delta, Binzhou University, Binzhou, 256603, People’s Republic of China

    Jiangbao Xia

  4. Linyi Agricultural Comprehensive Development Office, Linyi, 276000, People’s Republic of China

    Qiankun Zhao

Authors
  1. Ying Lang
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  2. Ming Wang
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  3. Jiangbao Xia
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  4. Qiankun Zhao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ming Wang.

Additional information

Project funding: This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41621061, 31500511) and the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (No. ZR2015CL044).

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Corresponding editor: Zhu Hong

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Lang, Y., Wang, M., Xia, J. et al. Effects of soil drought stress on photosynthetic gas exchange traits and chlorophyll fluorescence in Forsythia suspensa . J. For. Res. 29, 45–53 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0420-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0420-9

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