Work

Physiological Responses of Hollyhock (Alcea rosea L.) to Drought Stress

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Hollyhock (Alcea rosea L.) is an aromatic, ornamental/medicinal plant species for which the selection of drought-tolerant varieties based on physio-chemical traits is desirable. The data presented resulted from a field experiment. This experiment was designed as a split-plot, based on a randomized complete block design, in which the main plots consisted of the three irrigation regimes (30, 60 and 80% permissible discharge moisture available in the soil), and the subplots consisted of nine hollyhock varieties. Photosynthetic pigments, Fv/Fm, proline content and selected antioxidant enzymes were measured throughout the period of induced drought stress. The data obtained illustrate the nature of the physiological response of hollyhock to drought stress. Based on the measured traits the varieties Isfahan 1, Shiraz 1 and Tabriz were shown to display the highest degree of resistance to drought stress. These data suggest that the effect of drought stress is dependent upon the drought level, variety and the trait in question. In this regard, future plant breeders for this species may find it useful to utilize ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT) and guayacol peroxidase (POX) activities as biochemical markers to select for drought-tolerant genotypes. As such, hollyhock can be considered a promising ornamental/medicinal species for cultivation in semi-arid environments.

Source: Horticulturae

DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae10080841

Authors: Arezoo Sadeghi, Hassan Karimmojeni, Jamshid Razmjoo, Timothy C. Baldwin

Institutions: Isfahan University of Technology, University of Wolverhampton

Language: English

Topic: Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,501