Soil Water Deficit Reduced Root Hydraulic Conductivity of Common Reed (Phragmites australis)

Alterations in root hydraulics in response to varying moisture conditions remain a subject of debate. In our investigation, we subjected common reeds (Phragmites australis) to a 45-day treatment with four distinct soil moisture levels. The findings unveiled that, in response to drought stress, the total root length, surface area, volume, and average diameter exhibited varying degrees of reduction. Anatomically, drought caused a reduction in root diameter (RD), cortex thickness (CT), vessel diameter (VD), and root cross-sectional area (RCA). A decrease in soil moisture significantly reduced both whole- and single-root hydraulic conductivity (Lp(wr), Lp(sr)). The total length, surface area, volume, and average diameter of the reed root system were significantly correlated with Lp(wr), while RD, CT, and RCA were significantly correlated with Lp(sr). A decrease in soil moisture content significantly influenced root morphological and anatomical characteristics, which, in turn, altered Lp(r), and the transcriptome results suggest that this may be associated with the variation in the expression of abscisic acid (ABA) and aquaporins (AQPs) genes. Our initial findings address a gap in our understanding of reed hydraulics, offering fresh theoretical insights into how herbaceous plants respond to external stressors.