Influence of drought stress on growth, biochemical changes and leaf gas exchange of strawberry (<i>Fragaria</i> × <i>ananassa</i> Duch.) in Indonesia

Abstract

&lt;abstract&gt; &lt;p&gt;Drought stress is one of the challenges that can affect the growth and the quality of strawberry. The study aims to determine the growth, biochemical changes and leaf gas exchange of three strawberry cultivars under drought stress. This study was conducted in a glasshouse at Indonesian Citrus and Subtropical Fruits Research Institute, Indonesia, from July-November 2018. The experiment was arranged in a factorial randomized completely block design (RCBD) with three replications and four water deficit (WD) levels [100% field capacity (FC)/well-watered), 75% of FC (mild WD), 50% of FC (moderate WD), and 25% of FC (severe WD)] for three strawberry cultivars (Earlibrite, California and Sweet Charlie). The results showed that total chlorophyll and anthocyanin contents (p ≤ 0.05) were influenced by the interaction effects of cultivars and water deficit. Whereas other parameters such as plant growth, transpiration rate (&lt;italic&gt;E&lt;/italic&gt;), net photosynthesis (&lt;italic&gt;A&lt;/italic&gt;), stomatal conductance (&lt;italic&gt;gs&lt;/italic&gt;), leaf relative water content (LRWC), flowers and fruits numbers, proline content, length, diameter, weight and total soluble solid (TSS) of fruit were affected by water deficit. &lt;italic&gt;A&lt;/italic&gt; had positive significant correlation with plant height (r = 0.808), leaf area (r = 0.777), fruit length (r = 0.906), fruit diameter (r = 0.889) and fruit weight (r = 0.891). Based on the results, cultivars affected LRWC, and also number of flowers and fruits of the strawberry. This study showed that water deficit decreased plant growth, chlorophyll content, leaf gas exchange, leaf relative water content, length, diameter and weight of fruit but enhanced TSS, anthocyanin, MDA, and proline contents. Increased anthocyanin and proline contents are mechanisms for protecting plants against the effects of water stress. California strawberry had the highest numbers of flowers and fruits, and also anthocyanin content. Hence, this cultivar is recommended to be planted under drought stress conditions. Among all water stress treatments, 75% of FC had the best results to optimize water utilization on the strawberry plants.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/abstract&gt;

Growth, Physiological, and Biochemical Responses of Ethiopian Red Pepper (Capsicum annum L.) Cultivars to Drought Stress

“…The result was consistent with the study done by Zhang et al [ 76 ] on soybean. The reduction of leaf area under water deficit stress was also previously reported in many plants such as wheat cultivars [ 77 ], marigold plants [ 56 ], and strawberries [ 65 , 78 ]. Drought stress reduced leaf area by 51.6% during the vegetative stage of cowpea due to the inhibition of cell growth [ 79 ].…”

“…This reduction in pigment content was previously reported in several crop plants, including bread wheat [ 117 ], sorghum [ 3 ], millet [ 118 ], red chili varieties [ 119 ], and different sunflower varieties [ 70 ]. Others [ 65 , 120 , 121 ] also found that lower water field capacity tends to decrease total chlorophyll in chamomile, strawberries, and peanut plants, respectively. The reduction may be because of the low activity of the photosynthetic elements under stress.…”

“…This finding is similar to the previous reports by Anjum et al [ 62 ] on plants and maize [ 55 ]. Others [ 63 – 65 ] also found that a water deficit could limit the growth of the plant, which can be seen by the reduced leaf number. This might be due to a reduction in leaf formation and the abscission of lower leaves.…”

“…These might be due to the traits they inherited, and they may determine the yielding potential of the crop. The water deficits reduced the canopy growth of strawberries [ 65 ].…”

Biostimulation effects of linseed and citrus oils on growth, antioxidant enzymes activity, metabolic changes and water relations of Khaya senegalensis seedlings under drought stress

“…Fresh biomass of the body plant, 80-95% is the embrace of water, which plays an animated role in diverse physiological processes, including numerous aspects of plant growth, metabolism, and development [37]. Water deficit is one of the challenges that can impact the plant growth and biochemical change [38,39,40]. Plants produce oxidative stress directly or indirectly under drought conditions, and it is one of the master diverse of plant response, resulting in altered membrane integrity, cell membrane damage, biochemical and physiological alterations which lastly change the proactive of plant [41,42,43], because the strong correlation between growth and availability of water, cells are enlargement more affected by decreased water compared to cell division [44].…”