Feautures of water status and antioxidant protection of plants with different adaptation strategies to drought

Abstract

There have been registered differences caused by drought in competitive relationships between plant organs of Phaseolus vulgaris L., Phaseolus acutifolius Gray, and Phaseolus lunatus L. The inflorescences and pods of resistant plants possessed a better water homeostasis by account of water reserve from the stems, of root system activity and reactivity of stomata. Reactivity of stomata, hydraulic conductivity adjustment, high ability to restore the water status of the tepari and Lima beans reflected the conservative strategy of tolerant plants. Low tolerance of Phaseolus vulgaris L. plants to drought could be explained as the result of lower stomatal conductance, the occurrence of reactive oxygen species, acceleration of lipid peroxidation, accelerating oxidative destructions