Waterlogging Tolerance of 57 Plant Species Grown Hydroponically

Abstract

Plans for hydroponic experiments, as well as the flooding of watersheds for ecological restoration, require abundant evaluation information regarding plant species adapted to waterlogged environments. In this study, we observed the growth rate and phenotypes of 57 plant species, including nine provenances of four species grown hydroponically. The 57 species were from 22 families and 33 genera, and their waterlogging tolerance (WT) was classified into five categories according to the results of the evaluation: excellent, good, ordinary, poor, and very poor. We found that 60% of these plant species were able to survive in hydroculture for more than 10 weeks. They showed new shoot growth and had a survival rate of more than 60%. Species with excellent or good WT developed new leaves rapidly under waterlogging stress, whereas species with ordinary or poor WT exhibited old leaves dropping from the stem soon after waterlogging stress. In addition, phenotypic divergence occurred among provenances of the same species under waterlogging stress.