Sarr, Mame and Seiler, John and Sullivan, Jay
(2024)
Effect of Drought Stress on the Physiology and Early Growth of Seven Senegalia senegal (L.) Britton Provenances.
New Forests.
pp. 1-14.
ISSN 0169-4286
Abstract
Decline of Senegalia senegal (Acacia senegal) in its natural range has been observed
and attributed mainly to harsh environmental conditions such as frequent drought occurrences. The objective of this study is to assess the effect of water stress on growth, biomass allocation and photosynthetic capacity in Senegalia senegal seedlings. Seeds were
collected from seven provenances in Senegal and grown under greenhouse conditions
in a randomized complete block design with 5 replications. Seedlings were subjected to
three cyclic droughts by watering them when average soil moisture content dropped to
4.7%, 2.7%, and 2.1% during the first, second, and third dry down cycles, respectively.
With the exception of net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration at
the second and third dry down cycles, no drought by provenance interaction was found
for any trait measured. Ngane provenance had a lower root/shoot ratio and allometric
analysis revealed that Ngane allocated less biomass to roots than shoots. Ngane developed
superior growth traits and biomass production, despite similar net photosynthetic rate with
other provenances before treatments started. Overall, drought stress significantly reduced
biomass, stem height, diameter and leaf gas exchange. Total biomass was reduced by
28.5%, whereas root/shoot ratio was increased by 25% compared to control. Significant
interaction on leaf gas exchanges at the second and third dry down cycles reveals different
sensitivity levels to drought among provenances with the Ranerou provenance exhibiting
no decline in leaf gas exchange. No significant difference of stomatal limitation among
genotypes was found, which is indicative of the complex process of photosynthesis and
the need for extended times scales for measurements to better depict physiological sensitivity of Senegalia senegal to drought.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
Senegalia senegal; Provenance; Drought; Leaf gas exchanges; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering > Biology |
| Item ID: |
18090 |
| Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-023-10027-5 |
| Depositing User: |
Professor Paul Moynagh
|
| Date Deposited: |
29 Jan 2024 12:01 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
New Forests |
| Publisher: |
Springer |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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