Drought resistance of Astragalus cicer and A. sulcatus at the initial stages of plants development

Abstract

The article considers laboratory evaluation methods of water stress influence on the initial stages of Astragalus cicer and A. sulcatus development by seeds ability to germinate in osmotic sucrose solutions, characteristics of radicles and depression of shoots growth processes induced by the solution osmotic pressure. Osmoregulatory characteristics of seeds are estimated. It was ascertained that the rise in solution osmotic pressure up to 2 atm leads to a twofold and fivefold decrease in seeds germinating capacity in A. cicer and A. sulcatus respectively. At the sucrose concentration level of 4 atm, seeds do not germinate at all. Strong concentrations of osmotic solutions cause the depression of shoots growth processes and the reduction of astragaluses dry biomass.