Grain Yield, Biomass Accumulation, and Leaf Photosynthetic Characteristics of Rice under Combined Salinity-Drought Stress

doi:10.1016/j.rsci.2023.06.006

Abstract

Abstract:

Simultaneous stresses of salinity and drought often coincide during rice-growing seasons in saline lands, primarily due to insufficient water resources and inadequate irrigation facilities. Consequently, combined salinity-drought stress poses a major threat to rice production. In this study, two salinity levels (NS, non-salinity; HS, high salinity) along with three drought treatments (CC, control condition; DJ, drought stress imposed at jointing; DH, drought stress imposed at heading) were performed to investigate their combined influences on leaf photosynthetic characteristics, biomass accumulation, and rice yield formation. Salinity, drought, and their combination led to a shortened growth period from heading to maturity, resulting in a reduced overall growth duration. Grain yield was reduced under both salinity and drought stress, with a more substantial reduction under the combined salinity-drought stress. The combined stress imposed at heading caused greater yield losses in rice compared with the stress imposed at jointing. Additionally, the combined salinity-drought stress induced greater decreases in shoot biomass accumulation from heading to maturity, as well as in shoot biomass and nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) content in the stem at heading and maturity. However, it increased the harvest index and NSC remobilization reserve. Salinity and drought reduced the leaf area index and SPAD value of flag leaves and weakened the leaf photosynthetic characteristics as indicated by lower photosynthetic rates, transpiration rates, and stomatal conductance. These reductions were more pronounced under the combined stress. Salinity, drought, and especially their combination, decreased the activities of ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase, while increasing the contents of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide radical. Our results indicated a more significant yield loss in rice when subjected to combined salinity-drought stress. The individual and combined stresses of salinity and drought diminished antioxidant enzyme activities, inhibited leaf photosynthetic functions, accelerated leaf senescence, and subsequently lowered assimilate accumulation and grain yield.

Key words: antioxidant defense system, combined salinity-drought stress, drought stress, photosynthetic characteristics, rice, salinity stress

Wei Huanhe, Geng Xiaoyu, Zhang Xiang, Zhu Wang, Zhang Xubin, Chen Yinglong, Huo Zhongyang, Zhou Guisheng, Meng Tianyao, Dai Qigen. Grain Yield, Biomass Accumulation, and Leaf Photosynthetic Characteristics of Rice under Combined Salinity-Drought Stress[J]. Rice Science, 2024, 31(1): 118-128.

Figures/Tables 9

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Year	Treatment		No. of panicles per m²		No. of spikelets per panicle	No. of spikelets per m² (×10³)	Filled- grain rate (%)	Grain weight (mg)
2020	NS	CC	308 a		156 a	48.0 a	90.7 a	27.2 a
		DJ	299 ab		142 b	42.5 c	88.9 ab	26.9 a
		DH	303 a		151 a	45.8 b	83.7 c	25.9 bc
	HS	CC	283 c		141 b	39.9 d	86.2 b	26.2 b
		DJ	276 c		121 c	33.4 f	85.1 bc	25.9 bc
		DH	288 bc		135 bc	38.9 e	78.8 d	24.2 c
2021	NS	CC	302 a		158 a	47.7 a	89.4 a	27.6 a
		DJ	291 ab		142 b	41.3 b	88.3 a	27.1 b
		DH	299 a		153 ab	45.7 ab	83.1 c	25.8 c
	HS	CC	284 b		144 b	40.9 b	86.1 b	26.0 c
		DJ	267 c		125 c	33.4 d	85.4 b	25.7 c
		DH	278 bc		137 bc	38.1 c	78.2 d	24.3 d
Analysis of variance (ANOVA)
Year				None	None	None	None	None
Salinity				**	**	**	**	**
Drought				*	*	*	**	**
Year × Salinity				None	None	None	None	None
Year × Drought				None	None	None	None	None
Salinity × Drought				*	None	*	*	**
Year × Salinity × Drought				None	None	None	None	None

Year	Treatment		No. of panicles per m²		No. of spikelets per panicle	No. of spikelets per m² (×10³)	Filled- grain rate (%)	Grain weight (mg)
2020	NS	CC	308 a		156 a	48.0 a	90.7 a	27.2 a
		DJ	299 ab		142 b	42.5 c	88.9 ab	26.9 a
		DH	303 a		151 a	45.8 b	83.7 c	25.9 bc
	HS	CC	283 c		141 b	39.9 d	86.2 b	26.2 b
		DJ	276 c		121 c	33.4 f	85.1 bc	25.9 bc
		DH	288 bc		135 bc	38.9 e	78.8 d	24.2 c
2021	NS	CC	302 a		158 a	47.7 a	89.4 a	27.6 a
		DJ	291 ab		142 b	41.3 b	88.3 a	27.1 b
		DH	299 a		153 ab	45.7 ab	83.1 c	25.8 c
	HS	CC	284 b		144 b	40.9 b	86.1 b	26.0 c
		DJ	267 c		125 c	33.4 d	85.4 b	25.7 c
		DH	278 bc		137 bc	38.1 c	78.2 d	24.3 d
Analysis of variance (ANOVA)
Year				None	None	None	None	None
Salinity				**	**	**	**	**
Drought				*	*	*	**	**
Year × Salinity				None	None	None	None	None
Year × Drought				None	None	None	None	None
Salinity × Drought				*	None	*	*	**
Year × Salinity × Drought				None	None	None	None	None

Year	Treatment		Shoot biomass weight (SBW) (t/hm²)			SBW from heading to maturity (t/hm²)	Increased rate of SBW from heading to maturity [t/(hm²·d)]	Harvest index
Year	Treatment		Jointing	Heading	Maturity	SBW from heading to maturity (t/hm²)	Increased rate of SBW from heading to maturity [t/(hm²·d)]	Harvest index
2020	NS	CC	5.7 a	12.1 a	20.0 a	7.9 a	0.134 a	0.495 d
		DJ	5.6 a	10.7 b	17.2 b	6.5 b	0.116 b	0.505 c
		DH	5.7 a	12.0 a	16.2 c	4.2 d	0.076 d	0.516 bc
	HS	CC	3.9 b	9.9 c	15.9 c	6.0 c	0.109 c	0.508 c
		DJ	3.8 b	8.7 d	12.5 d	3.8 e	0.073 d	0.523 b
		DH	3.8 b	9.7 c	11.3 e	1.6 f	0.030 e	0.534 a
2021	NS	CC	5.8 a	12.0 a	19.8 a	7.8 a	0.133 a	0.494 e
		DJ	5.9 a	10.9 b	16.9 b	6.0 b	0.108 b	0.508 d
		DH	5.8 a	12.1 a	15.7 c	3.6 d	0.066 c	0.520 bc
	HS	CC	3.7 b	9.7 c	15.5 c	5.8 c	0.105 b	0.512 cd
		DJ	3.6 b	8.9 d	12.4 d	3.5 d	0.066 c	0.527 b
		DH	3.7 b	9.6 c	11.2 e	1.6 e	0.030 d	0.539 a
Analysis of variance (ANOVA)
Year			None	None	None	*	*	None
Salinity			**	**	**	**	**	**
Drought			None	**	**	**	**	*
Year × Salinity			*	None	None	None	None	None
Year × Drought			None	None	None	None	None	None
Salinity × Drought			None	*	**	**	**	**
Year × Salinity × Drought			None	None	None	**	None	None

Year	Treatment		Shoot biomass weight (SBW) (t/hm²)			SBW from heading to maturity (t/hm²)	Increased rate of SBW from heading to maturity [t/(hm²·d)]	Harvest index
Year	Treatment		Jointing	Heading	Maturity	SBW from heading to maturity (t/hm²)	Increased rate of SBW from heading to maturity [t/(hm²·d)]	Harvest index
2020	NS	CC	5.7 a	12.1 a	20.0 a	7.9 a	0.134 a	0.495 d
		DJ	5.6 a	10.7 b	17.2 b	6.5 b	0.116 b	0.505 c
		DH	5.7 a	12.0 a	16.2 c	4.2 d	0.076 d	0.516 bc
	HS	CC	3.9 b	9.9 c	15.9 c	6.0 c	0.109 c	0.508 c
		DJ	3.8 b	8.7 d	12.5 d	3.8 e	0.073 d	0.523 b
		DH	3.8 b	9.7 c	11.3 e	1.6 f	0.030 e	0.534 a
2021	NS	CC	5.8 a	12.0 a	19.8 a	7.8 a	0.133 a	0.494 e
		DJ	5.9 a	10.9 b	16.9 b	6.0 b	0.108 b	0.508 d
		DH	5.8 a	12.1 a	15.7 c	3.6 d	0.066 c	0.520 bc
	HS	CC	3.7 b	9.7 c	15.5 c	5.8 c	0.105 b	0.512 cd
		DJ	3.6 b	8.9 d	12.4 d	3.5 d	0.066 c	0.527 b
		DH	3.7 b	9.6 c	11.2 e	1.6 e	0.030 d	0.539 a
Analysis of variance (ANOVA)
Year			None	None	None	*	*	None
Salinity			**	**	**	**	**	**
Drought			None	**	**	**	**	*
Year × Salinity			*	None	None	None	None	None
Year × Drought			None	None	None	None	None	None
Salinity × Drought			None	*	**	**	**	**
Year × Salinity × Drought			None	None	None	**	None	None

Year	Treatment		NSC content in stem (g/m²)		NSC remobilization reserve (%)
Year	Treatment		Heading	Maturity	NSC remobilization reserve (%)
2020	NS	CC	341 a	178 a	47.8 d
		DJ	317 b	159 b	49.8 c
		DH	339 a	153 bc	54.9 a
	HS	CC	299 c	145 c	51.5 b
		DJ	275 d	136 d	50.5 b
		DH	302 bc	132 d	56.3 a
2021	NS	CC	333 a	173 a	48.0 d
		DJ	309 b	156 b	49.5 cd
		DH	326 a	149 bc	54.3 b
	HS	CC	289 c	143 c	50.5 c
		DJ	266 d	128 d	51.9 c
		DH	282 c	122 d	56.7 a
Analysis of variance (ANOVA)
Year			*	*	None
Salinity			**	**	**
Drought			**	**	**
Year × Salinity			None	None	None
Year × Drought			None	None	None
Salinity × Drought			None	None	**
Year × Salinity × Drought			None	None	None