TITLE:
Effects of Waterlogging Stress on the Physiological Characteristics and Secondary Metabolites of Herbaceous Peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.)
AUTHORS:
Minmin Liu, Qingxia Zhang, Jinguang Xu, Mingyue Bao, Dongliang Zhang, Anqi Xie, Xia Sun
KEYWORDS:
Waterlogging Stress, Secondary Metabolism, Herbaceous Peony, Antioxidant Enzymes, Osmotic Regulation, Microstructure
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.12 No.4,
April
14,
2021
ABSTRACT: Herbaceous peony is an ornamental plant with
medicinal properties. Waterlogging can affect its yield and quality as it grows
and matures. In this study, we subjected “Taohuafeixue”, “Yangfeichuyu” and
“Hongxiuqiu” herbaceous peony varieties to a simulated waterlogging stress
treatment and investigated the effects of waterlogging on their physiological
characteristics and the secondary metabolite contents in their leaves and
roots. Short-term waterlogging caused the leaves to turn yellow or red and the
roots to turn black. The stele and the cell wall of the endothelial cells
thickened, and the cortical cells enlarged. Waterlogging did not significantly
change plant height, leaf length, and leaf
area; however, it significantly decreased the root-shoot ratio of “Yangfeichuyu” and “Hongxiuqiu” varieties. The activity
of antioxidant enzymes and the content of osmotic regulators increased
under waterlogging. After short-term waterlogging stress treatment, the content of paeoniflorin and
albiflorin increased in the roots of “Taohuafeixue” and “Yangfeichuyu”, and the
content of benzoylpaeoniflorin increased in the root of “Hongxiuqiu”. The content of gallic acid
and total flavonoids increased in the leaves of “Taohuafeixue” and
“Yangfeichuyu”. After the waterlogging, paeoniflorin and benzoylpaeoniflorin
increased in the autumn root of “Hongxiuqiu”. This study expands our
knowledge about the medicinal properties of herbaceous peony and informs about
its production and cultivation under waterlogged conditions.