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Does the rate of German chamomile growth and development influence the response of plants to soil drought?

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Abstract

The response of the wild type (WT) and a strain C6/2 of German chamomile to 7-d soil drought and subsequent 7-day rehydration was studied. Shoot and leaf growth, vegetative development, water and protein contents, ascorbate peroxidase activity and gas exchange were compared. At the stress stage, water content of WT plants was slightly influenced and the effect was ceased after rehydration. Also the decrease in gas exchange was temporary. New leaves were formed, although their area was diminished. On the contrary, leaves of C6/2 plants were more desiccated and the durable decrease in water content was accompanied by the impairment in gas exchange also at the recovery stage (20–40% loss when compared to the control). At both stages of the experiment the growth of the long shoots of this genotype was drastically decreased, as well as leaf formation. Ascorbate peroxidase activity was increased by drought in leaves of both genotypes, but the pattern of changes in WT plants reflected the enhancement of metabolism resulting from proper water content and gas exchange at the recovery stage. Different pattern of changes in the protein content during drought was also noticed: a slight increase in WT, while the decrease by ¼ in C6/2 leaves. The response of WT plants to desiccation and rewatering was found to be more elastic than that of C6/2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Physiology Department, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture, Kraków, 30-239, Podłużna 3, Poland

    Renata Bączek-Kwinta & Agnieszka Adamska

  2. Institute of Natural Fiber and Medicinal Plants, Wojska Polskiego 71B, 60-630, Poznań, Poland

    Katarzyna Seidler-Łożykowska

  3. Polish Academy of Sciences, the F. Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, 30-239, Kraków, Niezapominajek 21, Poland

    Krzysztof Tokarz

Authors
  1. Renata Bączek-Kwinta
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  2. Agnieszka Adamska
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  3. Katarzyna Seidler-Łożykowska
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  4. Krzysztof Tokarz
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Correspondence to Renata Bączek-Kwinta.

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Bączek-Kwinta, R., Adamska, A., Seidler-Łożykowska, K. et al. Does the rate of German chamomile growth and development influence the response of plants to soil drought?. Biologia 65, 837–842 (2010). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-010-0084-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-010-0084-9

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