Abstract
Helianthus porteri, a sunflower endemic to drought prone granite outcrops, has been hypothesized to be drought resistant. We compared H. porteri to three Helianthus species (H. annuus, H. agrestis, H. carnosus) from less drought prone habitats for traits associated with drought avoidance and tolerance in greenhouse experiments. Under well-watered conditions, H. porteri had high specific root length suggestive of high capacity for water uptake, but intermediate root mass ratio (RMR) and shallow rooting inconsistent with enhanced capacity for drought avoidance. In response to mild drought, none of the species exhibited osmotic adjustment, and H. porteri had no change in RMR and no greater capacity to increase water-use efficiency, again, inconsistent with greater drought avoidance. In response to cessation of watering, H. porteri wilted at a leaf water potential similar to a wet habitat species, inconsistent with greater drought tolerance. Overall, under the conditions assessed, we found no evidence that H. porteri possesses traits that confer a unique ability to avoid or tolerate drought as compared to congeners.
Funding statement: This work was supported by National Science Foundation (1122842).
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© 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Review Paper
- Chao-Chien Jan: Thirty-five Years of Dedicated Research Utilizing Wild Sunflower Crop Relatives for Sunflower Improvement
- Research Articles
- Helianthus porteri, a Granite Outcrop Endemic, Does Not Have More Drought Resistant Traits Than Congeners
- Effect of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on Sunflower Seeds Quality
- Genomic Evaluation of Sunflower Broomrape (Orobanche Cumana) Germplasm by KASP Assay
- Validation of Microsatellite Markers of Pl Resistance Genes to Downy Mildew of Sunflower
- Selection for Some Functional Markers for Adaptability of Helianthus argophyllus × Helianthus annuus Derived Population under Abiotic Stress Conditions
- Inheritance of Basal Branching in Sunflower
- Diversity of Fungi in Rhizoplane, Rhizosphere and Edaphosphere of Sunflower at Different Stages of its Development
- Performance and Water-Use Efficiency of Wild Cytoplasmic Sources in Sunflower
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Review Paper
- Chao-Chien Jan: Thirty-five Years of Dedicated Research Utilizing Wild Sunflower Crop Relatives for Sunflower Improvement
- Research Articles
- Helianthus porteri, a Granite Outcrop Endemic, Does Not Have More Drought Resistant Traits Than Congeners
- Effect of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on Sunflower Seeds Quality
- Genomic Evaluation of Sunflower Broomrape (Orobanche Cumana) Germplasm by KASP Assay
- Validation of Microsatellite Markers of Pl Resistance Genes to Downy Mildew of Sunflower
- Selection for Some Functional Markers for Adaptability of Helianthus argophyllus × Helianthus annuus Derived Population under Abiotic Stress Conditions
- Inheritance of Basal Branching in Sunflower
- Diversity of Fungi in Rhizoplane, Rhizosphere and Edaphosphere of Sunflower at Different Stages of its Development
- Performance and Water-Use Efficiency of Wild Cytoplasmic Sources in Sunflower