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Assessing drought tolerance in field-grown sunflower hybrids by chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics

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Abstract

Drought is one of the most damaging abiotic stress factors commonly experienced by plants, resulting in a significant loss of crop yield worldwide. The aim of the study was to assess drought tolerance of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) hybrids and find out potentially underlying photobiological traits. Experiment was conducted in the agricultural field of Eastern Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute in Adana. To evaluate the drought tolerance of twenty-six sunflower hybrids polyphasic chlorophyll fluorescence measurements were performed at the three growth stages named as vegetative, head formation and milky seed (stress 1, S1; stress 2, S2; stress 3, S3, respectively). The hybrids were classified from drought tolerant to drought sensitive based on their drought factor index (DFI) values calculated from photosynthetic performance index. 9444 A X 9947 R and 9444 A X 8129 R were determined as the most tolerant hybrids, whereas 2453 A X 8129 R and 7751 A X TT 135 R were determined as the most sensitive hybrids. Severe drought stress (S2) inhibited severely both the donor and the acceptor sides of photosystem II in sensitive hybrids. Photosynthetic structures of drought-tolerant hybrids were less damaged by drought stress, consequently these hybrids could maintain their photosynthetic performances (minor changes in φPo, ψo, δRo, specific and/or phenomenological energy fluxes) approximately control levels under severe drought condition. As a result, results, 9444 A X 9947 R and 9444 A X 8129 R hybrids could be recommended to be used in the breeding programs and further studies as genetic material and to be grown in drought-prone areas.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK, Project Number: 1001- 113O926).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hacettepe University, 06800, Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey

    Nuran Çiçek, Şeküre Çulha Erdal & Yasemin Ekmekçi

  2. Trakya Agricultural Research Institute, PO Box 16, 22100, Edirne, Turkey

    Veli Pekcan

  3. Espiye Vocational School, Giresun University, Giresun, Turkey

    Özlem Arslan

  4. Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, Necmettin Erbakan University, 42090, Meram, Konya, Turkey

    Ayşe Suna Balkan Nalçaiyi

  5. Eastern Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute, Karatas Yolu 17.km., Dogankent, Yuregir, PO Box 45, Adana, Turkey

    Ayşe Nuran Çil & Vakas Şahin

  6. Agricultural Research Institute, Trakya University, Edirne, Turkey

    Yalçın Kaya

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  1. Nuran Çiçek
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Contributions

VP and YK designed the study and ANÇ and VŞ carried out the field experiment. ÖA, ŞÇE and ASBN performed the chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. NÇ and YE analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. We attest to the fact that all authors listed on the title page have contributed significantly to the work, have read the manuscript, attest to the validity and legitimacy of the data and its interpretation and agree to its submission to Brazilian Journal of Botany.

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Correspondence to Yasemin Ekmekçi.

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Çiçek, N., Pekcan, V., Arslan, Ö. et al. Assessing drought tolerance in field-grown sunflower hybrids by chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics. Braz. J. Bot 42, 249–260 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-019-00534-1

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