AUTHOR=Zheng Shaojie , Cha Xiaofei , Dong Qiong , Guo Huanxian , Sun Lijuan , Zhao Qize , Gong Yunqi 

TITLE=Effects of rainfall patterns in dry and rainy seasons on the biomass, ecostoichiometric characteristics, and NSC content of Fraxinus malacophylla seedlings

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1344717

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2024.1344717

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=The impact of global rainfall changes on ecosystems has prompted people to delve deeper into how changes in rainfall affect plant growth; Plant biomass, nutrient element content, and non-structural carbohydrate content are very sensitive to changes in precipitation.  However, it is currently unclear how the seedlings of Fraxinus malacophylla in rocky desertification areas respond to changes in rainfall. In this study, the response of biomass, nutrient accumulation, and NSC content of F. malacophylla seedlings to different rainfall intervals and rainfall during the dry and rainy seasons was studied. Use natural rainfall duration of 5 days (T) and extended rainfall duration of 10 days(T+) as rainfall intervals; average monthly rainfall was used as the control (W), with a corresponding 40% increase in rainfall (W+) and a 40% decrease in rainfall (W-) as rainfall treatments. The research results indicate that the biomass of roots, stems, and leaves, as well as the accumulation of C, N, and P in F. malacophylla seedlings increase with the increase of rainfall, while the soluble sugar and starch content show a pattern of first increasing and then decreasing. The biomass and nutrient accumulation of each organ showed root>leaf>stem. Except for the beginning of the dry season, prolonging the duration of rainfall in other periods inhibits the biomass accumulation of F. malacophylla seedlings, and promotes the accumulation of C, N, and P nutrients and an increase in soluble sugar and starch content. There was a significant positive correlation (P<0.05) between the nutrient contents of C, N, and P in various organs, as well as between soluble sugar and starch content; And N: P>16, plant growth is limited by P element. These results indicate that changes in rainfall can affect the growth and development of F. malacophylla seedlings, increasing rainfall can promote biomass and nutrient accumulation of F. malacophylla seedlings, and prolonging rainfall intervals and reducing rainfall have inhibitory effects on them. The exploration of the adaptation of F. malacophylla seedlings to rainfall patterns has promoted a basic understanding of the impact of rainfall changes on the growth of F. malacophylla.