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Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology ›› 2026, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (4): 1075-1082.doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.202604.006

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Effects of drought stress on phenotypic traits and physiological characteristics of three Poa forage species

A Yun1, LIU Wenhui2*, ZHANG Jinqing3, ZHU Yongming1, HUANG Danni1, LIU Huixiang1   

  1. 1Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Plateau Climate Change and Corresponding Ecological and Environmental Effects, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Qinghai University of Science and Technology, Xining 810016, China;
    2Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China;
    3College of Forestry and Grassland, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
  • Received:2025-11-26 Revised:2026-03-02 Online:2026-04-18 Published:2026-05-29

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Abstract: To investigate the variations and underlying regulatory mechanisms of Poa species under drought stress, we examined growth parameters and physiological characteristic indices of P. crymophila, P. pratensis, and P. pra-tensis var. anceps under three soil water contents, control (60%), moderate drought (45%), and severe drought (30%) by using the artificial potted water control method. We further comprehensively evaluated the drought tole-rance by the membership function method. The results showed that with the intensification of drought stress, plant height and dry weight of the three Poa species decreased significantly, with a reduction range of 12.3%-34.4% and 12.1%-34.1%. Except for the soluble protein content of P. pratensis, the contents of soluble sugar, proline, and soluble protein in the three species increased significantly under drought stress, with the highest increase of 151.7%. The activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase in P. crymophila showed a decreasing trend, with a reduction range of 0.7%-65.5%, while those in P. pratensis and P. pratensis var. anceps exhibited an increase-decrease trend. Except for the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content of P. pratensis var. anceps, the contents of H2O2, superoxide anion, and hydroxyl radical (·OH) in the three species all showed an increasing trend, with growth rates ranging from 2.6% to 37.3%. Leaf width, antioxidant enzyme activities, and reactive oxygen species content were more significantly affected by genotype, while plant height, dry weight, and osmotic adjustment substances were more prominently influenced by drought stress. Under drought stress, plant height and dry weight showed a significant negative correlation with proline and ·OH. The ranking of comprehensive drought tolerance was as follows: P. pratensis > P. crymophila > P. pratensis var. anceps. P. pratensis exhibited not only significant advantages in plant height and dry weight under drought stress, but also moderate accumulation of osmotic regulatory substances and stable antioxidant enzyme system function. We recommend the use of P. pratensis in establishing artificial grasslands or restoring natural grasslands in arid and semi-arid regions.

Key words: Poa, drought stress, phenotypic trait, physiological characteristic, drought resistance evaluation