Abstract:
The present study was conducted on natural populations of Prosopis cinerariato evaluate physiological adaptive potentials for different edaphic habitats of the Cholistan desert, Pakistan. According to ancient literature, it is an important herbal plant. It has traditionally been used to treat conditions such as leprosy, dysentery, asthma, leucoderma, dyspepsia, and earache. Local names for the tree include Jandi or Khejri (India), Jand (Pakistan), and Ghaf (Arabic). On the basis of variable edaphic factors, Cholistan desert is classified into four distinct habitats viz. saline areas, sandy plains, sand dunes and saline areas with gravels. Based on previous reports, saline areas with gravels support very less number of plant species, therefore present study was conducted on selected sites from sand dunes, sandy plain and saline area. The plants of saline areas showed particular anatomical and biochemical modifications in stem and roots for its better survival under the harsh saline conditions of the desert. In the root, there was an increased thickness in cortical, sclerenchyma, endodermis, and vascular bundle area for a reduction in water loss and improved water storage capacity. To minimize water loss, the stem area, epidermis, and sclerenchyma thicknesses were increased, and there was also an increase in cortex thickness, which increase water storage in plants, and an increase in pith for improved transport and storage of nutrients, while to improve water conduction, there was an increase in the number and area of vascular tissue. There was a decrease in photosynthetic pigments, an increase in total soluble proteins, total free amino acids, total soluble sugars, and proline, and a rise in stem and root tissue Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Cl- contents and accumulation of secondary metabolites (H2O2 and flavonoids). The plants of different edaphic habitats showed particular anatomical and biochemical modifications for its better survival under the harsh saline conditions of the desert. It was concluded that Prosopis cineraria found in all different edaphic habitats of the Cholistan desert, due to its adaptive potentials for multiple abiotic stresses.
Page(s):
162-162
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Abstract Book on Global Science Technology and Management Conference, Volume: 0, Issue: 0, Year: 2023