Comparison of the Differences in Tolerance to Drought Stress across Five Clematis Species Based on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth

Abstract

Plants of the Clematis genus are attractive ornamental plants due to their various flower colors and patterns, and they play an important role as ground cover plants in landscaping. However, the application of Clematis plants in landscaping in arid and semi-arid areas is limited. This study used five common wild Clematis species in Gansu Province as experimental materials, including Clematistangutica, Clematis glauca, Clematis intricata, Clematis nannophylla, and Clematis fruticosa. By simulating different intensities of drought stress with polyethylene glycol (PEG), the germination behavior of seeds and the physiological and biochemical responses of seedlings of these five species to drought stress were observed. The results showed that 15% PEG stress significantly inhibited the seed germination of the five species, which was also the drought threshold for seed germination of C. fruticosa. C. tangutica exhibited the strongest tolerance to drought stress in seed germination. Seedlings of the five Clematis plants showed different levels of tolerance to drought stress, mainly demonstrating higher tolerance to 10% and 20% concentrations of PEG stress, while a 30% concentration of PEG stress caused varying degrees of damage to the seedlings of the five Clematis species. PCA analysis indicated that seedlings of C. intricata and C. glauca had higher scores under drought stress. These findings can provide a theoretical basis for the selection of urban landscaping plant species in arid and semi-arid regions of northwest China.

The effect of exogenous melatonin on waterlogging stress in Clematis

“…Long-term exposure to soils with saturated or near-saturated water will cause root rot, leaf wilting, and yellowness, inhibition of plant growth, the decline of ornamental quality, and plant death in severe cases ( Rabiza-Świder et al., 2017 ). More rain in the plum rain season in southeastern coastal areas of China coincides with the flowering period of most Clematis , seriously affecting large-scale production and gardening applications ( Jiang et al., 2010 ; Zhu et al., 2024 ). Therefore, analyzing the waterlogging tolerance of Clematis and establishing waterlogging-resistant varieties are key to breeding Clematis with high stress tolerance.…”