Abstract
Drought is a serious problem in many nations, adversely affecting both crop growth and yield. Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L). Water stress was imposed by exposing the sand-grown roots to irrigation with a range of concentrations of polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG). Both relative growth rate (RGR) and water content (WC) decreased with increasing PEG concentration with the reductions being greatest for 20% PEG (water potential -0.58 MPa). The results show that as PEG concentration increased, the fluorescent chlorophyll and chloroplast pigments decreased but the ratio of Chl a/Chl b gradually increased. Meanwhile, shoot carbohydrate content increased slightly with increasing PEG concentration while that in the roots peaked at 5% PEG (-0.09 MPa) before decreasing at higher PEG concentrations. The content of proline in shoots and roots increased with increasing PEG concentration. With increasing PEG concentration, betaine showed a slight tendency to rise in the root, but to rise and then fall in the shoot. The results indicate that PEG-induced water stress increased the accumulations of carbohydrate, proline and betaine. These may help the linseed seedlings to survive periods of osmotic stress induced by drought and may be involved in the perception and transmission a drought signal, also playing a role in osmotic adjustment. Under water stress, the main inorganic ions involved in osmotic adjustment were K+, Na+, Ca2+ and Cl- likely thereby increasing drought resistance. The germination percentage of the seeds was severely reduced by increasing PEG concentrations, ceasing altogether at 15% PEG. Many of the seeds that remained dormant in the higher PEG concentrations germinated satisfactorily when afterwards placed in pure water. The research provides useful leads in the planned development of linseed cultivars having increased drought tolerance.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing PEG concentration decreased relative growth rate and water content of linseed seedlings.
- Taxon
- linseede0
- Treatment
- increasing PEG concentratione1
- Outcome
- relative growth rate (RGR) and water content (WC)e1
- Direction
- decreasede1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e1“Both relative growth rate (RGR) and water content (WC) decreased with increasing PEG concentration with the reductions being greatest for 20% PEG (water potential -0.58 MPa)”
Claim · model-written summary
Reductions in growth and water content were greatest at 20% PEG (water potential -0.58 MPa).
- Taxon
- linseede0
- Treatment
- 20% PEGe1
- Outcome
- reductionse1
- Direction
- greateste1
- Qualifier
- water potential -0.58 MPae1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e1“Both relative growth rate (RGR) and water content (WC) decreased with increasing PEG concentration with the reductions being greatest for 20% PEG (water potential -0.58 MPa)”
Claim · model-written summary
Fluorescent chlorophyll and chloroplast pigments decreased as PEG concentration increased.
- Taxon
- linseede0
- Treatment
- PEG concentratione2
- Outcome
- fluorescent chlorophyll and chloroplast pigmentse2
- Direction
- decreasede2
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e2“The results show that as PEG concentration increased, the fluorescent chlorophyll and chloroplast pigments decreased but the ratio of Chl a/Chl b gradually increased”
Claim · model-written summary
The ratio of Chl a/Chl b increased as PEG concentration increased.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e2“The results show that as PEG concentration increased, the fluorescent chlorophyll and chloroplast pigments decreased but the ratio of Chl a/Chl b gradually increased”
Claim · model-written summary
Shoot carbohydrate content increased slightly with increasing PEG concentration.
- Taxon
- linseede0
- Organ / stage
- shoote3
- Treatment
- increasing PEG concentratione3
- Outcome
- carbohydrate contente3
- Direction
- increased slightlye3
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e3“shoot carbohydrate content increased slightly with increasing PEG concentration while that in the roots peaked at 5% PEG (-0.09 MPa) before decreasing at higher PEG concentrations”
Claim · model-written summary
Root carbohydrate content peaked at 5% PEG before decreasing at higher PEG concentrations.
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e3“shoot carbohydrate content increased slightly with increasing PEG concentration while that in the roots peaked at 5% PEG (-0.09 MPa) before decreasing at higher PEG concentrations”
Claim · model-written summary
Proline content in shoots and roots increased with increasing PEG concentration.
- Taxon
- linseede0
- Organ / stage
- shoots and rootse4
- Treatment
- increasing PEG concentratione4
- Outcome
- content of prolinee4
- Direction
- increasede4
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e4“The content of proline in shoots and roots increased with increasing PEG concentration”
Claim · model-written summary
Root betaine showed a slight tendency to rise with increasing PEG concentration.
- Taxon
- linseede0
- Organ / stage
- roote5
- Treatment
- increasing PEG concentratione5
- Outcome
- betainee5
- Direction
- slight tendency to risee5
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e5“With increasing PEG concentration, betaine showed a slight tendency to rise in the root, but to rise and then fall in the shoot”
Claim · model-written summary
Shoot betaine rose and then fell with increasing PEG concentration.
- Taxon
- linseede0
- Organ / stage
- shoote5
- Treatment
- increasing PEG concentratione5
- Outcome
- betainee5
- Direction
- rise and then falle5
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e5“With increasing PEG concentration, betaine showed a slight tendency to rise in the root, but to rise and then fall in the shoot”
Claim · model-written summary
Carbohydrate, proline and betaine accumulation under PEG-induced water stress may help linseed seedlings survive osmotic stress induced by drought.
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e6“These may help the linseed seedlings to survive periods of osmotic stress induced by drought”
e7“The results indicate that PEG-induced water stress increased the accumulations of carbohydrate, proline and betaine”
Claim · model-written summary
The main inorganic ions involved in osmotic adjustment under water stress were K+, Na+, Ca2+ and Cl-.
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e1“Under water stress, the main inorganic ions involved in osmotic adjustment were K+, Na+, Ca2+ and Cl-”
Claim · model-written summary
Germination percentage of linseed seeds was severely reduced by increasing PEG concentrations.
- Taxon
- linseede0
- Treatment
- increasing PEG concentrationse1
- Outcome
- germination percentagee1
- Direction
- severely reducede1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e1“The germination percentage of the seeds was severely reduced by increasing PEG concentrations, ceasing altogether at 15% PEG”
Claim · model-written summary
Germination of linseed seeds ceased altogether at 15% PEG.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e1“The germination percentage of the seeds was severely reduced by increasing PEG concentrations, ceasing altogether at 15% PEG”
Claim · model-written summary
Seeds dormant at higher PEG concentrations germinated satisfactorily after transfer to pure water.
- Taxon
- linseede0
- Treatment
- pure watere1
- Outcome
- germinated satisfactorilye1
- Comparator
- higher PEG concentrationse1
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“Here, we investigate the effects of water stress on growth, photosynthesis, physiology and germination in seedlings of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L)”
e1“Many of the seeds that remained dormant in the higher PEG concentrations germinated satisfactorily when afterwards placed in pure water”
The same questions in other papers
drought · physiology: pigments · Linum usitatissimum (flax)Results agree
2 papers in the same direction as this paper
- negative
- negative
drought · growth · Linum usitatissimum (flax)Results agree
8 papers in the same direction as this paper
- negative
- negative
- negative
5 papers more in this group
See all 9 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.