Науковий вісник НЛТУ України (Feb 2017)
The Evaluation of Drought Resistance of Hippophae rhamnoides l. in the Right-Bank of Forest-Steppe of Ukraine
Abstract
Drought resistance is an important biological feature of woody plants which consists in its ability to bear the full range of unfavourable factors connected with overheating and dehydration, and to grow and develop in these conditions, and to restore owing to the properties appeared in the process of phylogenesis under the influence of living conditions and natural selection. A lack of materials on plant drought resistance of H. rhamnoides varieties in terms of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine despite numerous published data on this issue caused our research. The results obtained showed that significant signs of fading in plants of H. rhamnoides varieties in terms of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine were not found. Firstly, all test plants bore well high summer temperatures up to + 38°C and long-lasting periods without any rain (55‑60 days) indicating high actual (field) drought resistance of the plant. Secondly, we have found that the content of total water in leaves regardless of research years during a growing season was unstable and it gradually reduced to the end of a vegetation period. Thirdly, the index of water shortage increased during a vegetation period and its highest value was recorded under the greatest intensity of transpiration and meteorological factors. Finally, we have ascertained that water loss was 13.2 % at average for the first two hours, 25.6 % was registered in leaves after 4 hours, and water loss changed within 53.7‑56.9 % a day later that was 55.4 % at average. To sum up, the analysis of water regime of the leaves of H. rhamnoides varieties by indexes of total water content, water shortage and relative leaf turgescence and also intensity of moisture loss affords ground for the conclusion about high adaptation level of studied plants to dry periods in terms of the Right-Bank Forest Steppe of Ukraine.
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