Shaking off the blow: plant adjustments during submergence and post-stress growth in Lotus forage species

BURASCHI FLORENCIA; MOLLARD, F. P. O.; DI BELLA, CARLA; A.A. GRIMOLDI,; STRIKER GG

FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY

CSIRO PUBLISHING

Año: 2023

1445-4408

Flooding significantly hampers global forage production. In flood-prone regions, Lotus tenuis andLotus corniculatus are common forage legumes, yet little is known about their responses to partialor complete submergence. To address this, we evaluated 10 Lotus accessions subjected to 11 days ofeither partial or complete submergence, analysing growth traits related to tolerance and recoveryafter de-submergence. Principal component analyses revealed that submergence associated growthparameters were linked to L. corniculatus accessions, whereas recovery was associated with L. tenuisaccessions. Notably, in L. tenuis, recovery from complete submergence positively correlated withleaf mass fraction but negatively with root mass fraction, showing an opposite pattern than inL. corniculatus. Encouragingly, no trade-off was found between inherent growth capacity andsubmergence tolerance (both partial and complete) or recovery ability, suggesting genetic selectionfor increased tolerance would not compromise growth potential. L. tenuis exhibited accessions withboth partial and complete submergence tolerance, making them versatile for flood-prone environments, whereas L. corniculatus accessions were better suited for partial submergence. These findingsoffer valuable insights to enhance forage production in flood-prone areas and guide the selection ofappropriate Lotus accessions for specific flood conditions.