Growth, Secondary Metabolites and Enzyme Activity Responses of Two Edible Fern Species to Drought Stress and Rehydration in Northeast China

Abstract

The drought resistance mechanism of Matteuccia struthiopteris (L.) Todar. and Athyrium multidentatum (Doll.) Ching were measured under natural drought exposure. The results showed that the two edible fern species showed stronger resistance in the early stages of drought, mainly expressed as the decrease of relative leaf water content (RLWC), increase of osmotic substances, secondary metabolites such as flavonoids (FC), total phenols (TPC), proantho cyanidins (PCC) content and enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX)). The higher RLWC, FC, TPC, PCC and abscisic acid (ABA) content and lower H2O2 content indicates the stronger non-enzymatic antioxidant system and drought resistance of A. multidentatum. However, the proline (Pro) content changed slowly, and the synthesis of soluble protein (SP), total phenols, proantho cyanidins and ABA, SOD activity of two fern species were inhibited in the late stages of drought stress. This study can provide a scientific basis for the cultivation and utilization of edible fern species under forest in Northeast China.

Response of total phenols, flavonoids, minerals, and amino acids of four edible fern species to four shading treatments

“…Some studies have found that when Salvinia species are stressed by heavy metals, they can accumulate phenolic compounds against oxidative damage caused by heavy metals (Prado et al, 2016;Prado et al, 2013). Our previous study found that when AM, MS and Adonis species are subjected to drought stress, phenolic compounds can also be accumulated to alleviate the oxidative damage caused by drought (Gao et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2019). In the present study, total phenols and flavonoids increased with the increase of light intensity, and were significantly positively correlated with hydrogen peroxide content, indicating that secondary metabolites such as phenolic compounds are important for alleviating ferns' oxidative damage.…”

Physiological Responses of Amaranthus Cruentus L. to Drought Stress Under Sufficient- and Deficient-Nitrogen Conditions

“…The photosynthetic capacity is negatively correlated with the leaf phenolic concentration 48 and this has been suggested to represent the gradient between a maximum carbon gain and maximum protection 49 , reflecting the trade-off between growth and defence/protection demands, depending on the growth strategy adopted by each species 48 . The phenolic compounds which are found mainly in the vacuole of several cells types in the leaves act as multifunctional specialized metabolites under abiotics stress 49 , such as non-enzymatic antioxidants 50 and repair of membrane from lipid peroxidation 51 . Several author have found that water stressed plants showed an increase in total phenols and flavonoids 20,26 , which suggests that the increased synthesis of these substances by plants represents an important defense mechanism of drought tolerance 11 .…”

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improve the growth and performance in the seedlings of Leymus chinensis under alkali and drought stresses

“…Hence, understanding the positive effect of AMF on this species is crucial for its use in grassland rehabilitation and restoration. Our previous studies showed a good symbiotic relationship between AMF and this species under salt and alkali stresses ( Lin et al, 2017 ; Wang et al, 2019a ; Wang et al, 2019b Wang et al, 2019c ; Yang et al, 2020a ; Yang et al, 2020b ). In the present study, we hypothesized (1) that AMF play an important role in alleviating the inhibitory effect on seedling growth under alkali or drought stress conditions and (2) that the interaction of alkali and drought stresses affects the alleviating effect of AMF in Leymus chinensis seedlings.…”

“…Thiobarbituric acid (0.6%. one mL) was used to extract malondialdehyde (MDA) from fresh shoots (200 mg), and the absorbance was then measured at 600, 532 and 450 nm ( Wang et al, 2019a ; Wang et al, 2019b Wang et al, 2019c ). Proline was extracted with 3% sulfosalicylic acid for 1 h, and the absorbance was measured at 520 nm ( Bates, Waldren & Teare, 1973 ).…”

“…Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can colonize most terrestrial plants and thereby enhance the growth of host plants and provide external protection in response to abiotic stresses, such as drought, salt and temperature stresses ( Amiri, Nikbakht & Etemadi, 2015 ; Lin et al, 2017 ; Zhang et al, 2020 ). Previous studies have suggested the underlying mechanisms by which AMF improve tolerance to single alkali or drought stress in host plants, including the promotion of water and nutrient uptake ( Kumar et al, 2015 ), improvement of soil aggregate stability ( Quiroga et al, 2018 ), and enhancement of osmotic adjustment ( Wang et al, 2019a ; Wang et al, 2019b ; Wang et al, 2019c ; Yang et al, 2020a ; Yang et al, 2020b ). However, the interactive effect of alkali and drought stresses on the relationship between host plants and AMF is still poorly understood.…”