Abstract
Drought is a severe threat to agriculture production that affects all growth stages of plants, including corn (Zea mays L.). Any factor affecting early seedling growth and development will significantly impact yield. Despite the recurrence of low rainfall during the growing seasons, corn responses to different early-season soil moisture content levels have not been investigated. In this study, we investigated how corn morpho-physiological and biomass traits responded to varied soil moisture content during the early vegetative stage. Two corn hybrids were grown in a pot-culture facility under five different soil moisture treatments (0.15, 0.12, 0.09, 0.06, and 0.03 m3 m−3 volumetric water content, VWC) to assess the growth and developmental responses to varied soil moisture content during early-season growth (V2 to V7) stage. Sub-optimal soil moisture content limited plant growth and development by reducing physiological and phenotypic expression. Stomatal conductance and transpiration were decreased by an average of 65% and 59% across stress treatments relative to optimum conditions. On average, soil moisture deficit reduced the total leaf area by 71% and 72% compared to the control in ‘A6659VT2RIB’ and ‘P1316YHR’, respectively. Shoot and root dry weights were reduced by 74% and 43% under 0.03 m3 m−3 VWC. An increase in the root-to-shoot ratio was noticed under low VWC conditions compared to the control. Based on the stress tolerance index, the physiology and leaf growth parameters were more sensitive to soil moisture deficit. Our results highlight the impact of sub-optimal soil moisture on physiology and morphological traits during early-season growth. ‘P1316YHR’ demonstrated better physiological performance under stress conditions, while ‘A6659VT2RIB’ produced relatively better root growth. The findings suggest that biomass partitioning between shoot and root components is dynamic and depends on stress intensity. The current findings can help to prioritize traits associated with the early-season drought tolerance in corn. The functional relationships developed between soil moisture content and growth and developmental responses can be integrated into corn crop modeling to allow better irrigation management decisions.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Stress treatments reduced stomatal conductance by an average of 65%.
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayst0 - Treatment
- stress treatmentse0
- Outcome
- Stomatal conductancee0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 65%e0
- Comparator
- optimum conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Stomatal conductance and transpiration were decreased by an average of 65% and 59% across stress treatments relative to optimum conditions”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Stress treatments reduced transpiration by an average of 59%.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- stress treatmentse0
- Outcome
- transpiratione0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 59%e0
- Comparator
- optimum conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Stomatal conductance and transpiration were decreased by an average of 65% and 59% across stress treatments relative to optimum conditions”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Moisture deficit reduced total leaf area in A6659VT2RIB by 71%.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Material
- A6659VT2RIBe0
- Treatment
- soil moisture deficite0
- Outcome
- total leaf areae0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 71%e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“soil moisture deficit reduced the total leaf area by 71% and 72% compared to the control in ‘A6659VT2RIB’ and ‘P1316YHR’, respectively”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Moisture deficit reduced total leaf area in P1316YHR by 72%.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Material
- P1316YHRe0
- Treatment
- soil moisture deficite0
- Outcome
- total leaf areae0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 72%e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“soil moisture deficit reduced the total leaf area by 71% and 72% compared to the control in ‘A6659VT2RIB’ and ‘P1316YHR’, respectively”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
At 0.03 m3 m−3 VWC, shoot dry weight fell by 74%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Shoot and root dry weights were reduced by 74% and 43% under 0.03 m3 m−3 VWC”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
At 0.03 m3 m−3 VWC, root dry weight fell by 43%.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- 0.03 m3 m−3 VWCe0
- Outcome
- root dry weightse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 43%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Shoot and root dry weights were reduced by 74% and 43% under 0.03 m3 m−3 VWC”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Low VWC increased the root-to-shoot ratio relative to control.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- low VWC conditionse0
- Outcome
- root-to-shoot ratioe0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“An increase in the root-to-shoot ratio was noticed under low VWC conditions compared to the control”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Physiology and leaf growth parameters were more sensitive to moisture deficit by stress tolerance index.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Outcome
- physiology and leaf growth parameterse0
- Direction
- more sensitivee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Based on the stress tolerance index, the physiology and leaf growth parameters were more sensitive to soil moisture deficit”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
P1316YHR had better physiological performance under stress.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Material
- P1316YHRe0
- Outcome
- physiological performancee0
- Direction
- bettere0
- Qualifier
- stress conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“‘P1316YHR’ demonstrated better physiological performance under stress conditions”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
A6659VT2RIB had relatively better root growth.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Material
- A6659VT2RIBe0
- Outcome
- root growthe0
- Direction
- bettere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“‘A6659VT2RIB’ produced relatively better root growth”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Biomass partitioning between shoot and root depended on stress intensity.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- stress intensitye0
- Outcome
- biomass partitioning between shoot and root componentse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“biomass partitioning between shoot and root components is dynamic and depends on stress intensity”
t0“corn”
The same questions in other papers
drought · growth · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
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