ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Abiotic Stress
This article is part of the Research TopicBiochemical and Physiological Insights into Plant Adaptation and Resilience Under Abiotic StressesView all 20 articles
Complete submergence triggers synergistic regulation of gibberellin-abscisic acid 1 balance and pith cavity development to promote stem elongation in Alternanthera 2 philoxeroides
Provisionally accepted
- 1School of Biology and Food Engineering, Huanghuai University, Zhumadian, China
- 2Zhumadian City Greening Institute, Zhumadian 463000, China, Zhumadian, China
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Submergence, a major abiotic stress in hydrologically dynamic ecosystems, poses severe challenges 13 to plant survival and growth. Existing studies have demonstrated that plants employ a suite of adaptive 14 strategies to tolerate submergence. These divergent adaptive responses are endogenously regulated by 15 phytohormones; yet, the underlying mechanisms that connect hormonal regulation, anatomical 16 plasticity, and growth adaptation in the context of submergence remain insufficiently elucidated. 17 Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. is widely distributed in disturbed, flood-prone habitats and 18 exhibits exceptional adaptability to hydrological fluctuations, making it a suitable species for exploring 19 submergence stress responses. This study investigated A. philoxeroides' responses to three hydrological 20 conditions (non-submergence, partial submergence, complete submergence), focusing on stem growth 21 and its anatomical and hormonal regulatory drivers. Results revealed an unexpected growth pattern: 22 complete submergence induced significantly faster stem elongation than partial submergence, with this 23 growth-promoting effect most pronounced in immature stems—particularly the basal parts of immature 24 internodes. This elongation correlated positively with enlarged pith cavities and elevated gibberellin 25 (GA4), while it was significantly negatively correlated with abscisic acid (ABA). GA4 content and pith 26 cavity area were also highly positively correlated. These findings unravel a critical adaptation 27 mechanism in A. philoxeroides: coordinated hormonal adjustments (GA4 up, ABA down, higher 28 GA4/ABA) and morphological remodeling (pith cavity enlargement) that synergistically support 29 enhanced growth under severe submergence. This work advances understanding of plant adaptive 30 strategies under climate-driven hydrological stress, enriches insights into abiotic stress response 31 mechanisms, and provides valuable references for wetland ecosystem conservation and the 32 improvement of crop submergence tolerance.
Keywords: Abscisic Acid, Alternanthera philoxeroides, gibberellin, physiological response, Pith cavity, Stem elongation, Submergence stress
Received: 28 Aug 2025; Accepted: 28 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jing, Liu, Li, Bai, Yu, Liu and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dahong Li, lidahong@huanghuai.edu.cn
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