Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Citrus Rootstocks to Short-Term Waterlogging
摘要
To understand the physiological and biochemical responses to waterlogging, 1‑year-old citrus rootstocks (‘Carrizo Citrange,’ ‘Rough Lemon,’ ‘Sour Orange,’ and ‘Troyer Citrange’) were subjected to three waterlogging durations (5, 10, and 15 days), each followed by a 7-day recovery period. Plants were analyzed for stomatal conductance, relative leaf water content, electrolyte leakage, chlorophyll content, carotenoids, proline and soluble sugars. Among all rootstocks, ‘Carrizo Citrange’ showed the highest stomatal conductance, relative leaf water content and total soluble carbohydrates alongside the lowest electrolyte leakage and proline content across different waterlogging durations. However, ‘Troyer Citrange’ maintained higher levels of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and carotenoid content). By contrast, ‘Sour Orange’ showed lower stomatal conductance, relative leaf water content, total soluble carbohydrate, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and carotenoids alongside the highest electrolyte leakage and proline content across the different waterlogging treatments. Among all rootstocks evaluated, ‘Carrizo’ and ‘Troyer Citrange’ had better tolerance to waterlogging stress by maintaining higher levels of osmoprotectants, followed by ‘Rough Lemon,’ while ‘Sour Orange’ had comparatively less resistance and was the most adversely affected.