Study of Physiological Indices of Some Drought Resistance Trees in Natural Conditions

Abstract

Drought is one of the most important environmental stresses that affects plant morphology and physiology. The present study was carried out to measure some physiological indices of four drought resistance trees at ​​Isfahan University of Technology and aimed at managing desert. Physiological parameters of Ailanthus altissima, Robinia pseudoacacia, Morus alba and Melia azedarach including leaf water potential using pressure bomb, stomatal conductance through hand-held Porometer and chlorophyll content using SPAD were measured before and after irrigation. Data analysis and comparison of means was performed using SPSS 22.0 software, dependent T-Test. The results that showed that drought stress significantly reduced the leaf water potential by 11.56, 16.3, 14.54 and 13.54 bar as well as the stomatal conductance by 6.93, 5.42, 6.39 and 9.98 mmol m-2s-1 after irrigation for Robinia pseudoacacia, Ailanthus altissima, Melia azedarach and Morus alba, respectively. The chlorophyll content was also decreased by 1.5, 2.83, 2.16 and 2.24 mg g-1 after irrigation for Robinia pseudoacacia, Ailanthus altissima, Melia azedarach and Morus alba, respectively, but this was not statistically significant (P>0.05). According to the physiological responses of the trees, it can be concluded that Robinia pseudoacacia, Ailanthus altissima, Melia azedarach and Morus alba are drought resistance trees, respectively that are recommended in arid areas.

Keywords

• leaf water potential
• stomatal conductance
• chlorophyll content
• robinia pseudoacacia
• water stress