Abstract
Abstract Water deficit is a major constraint affecting crop productivity, and understanding the responses of different landraces to water scarcity is crucial for sustainable agriculture. This study aimed to investigate the physiological and biochemical responses of watermelon landraces under varying levels of water deficit. Six native watermelon landraces (Aliabad, Sistani, Torbat, Mashhad, Mazandaran, and Gorgan) were evaluated in a split-plot design with three replications, using different irrigation levels (40, 70, and 100% of the available water). The results revealed that drought stress significantly influenced the relative water content (RWC) of watermelon leaves, with the highest decrease observed in severe drought stress (40%) for the Mazandaran and Gorgan landraces. Proline content, an important osmolyte, increased significantly in all landraces under severe drought stress, with the Sistani landrace exhibiting the highest accumulation. Electrolyte leakage increased with increasing drought stress, particularly in landraces from humid regions (Mazandaran and Gorgan). Water use efficiency decreased with higher drought stress levels, but the Sistani landrace maintained higher efficiency due to its consistent yield performance. Antioxidant enzyme activity, including catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione reductase, increased in response to drought stress, especially in landraces from dry regions (Sistani and Mashhad). The yield parameters, including fruit weight, size, and yield per hectare, declined with increasing drought stress, but landraces from dry regions demonstrated better performance under severe stress. Under severe drought stress the Sistani landrace exhibited the highest lycopene content, whereas the Mazandaran landrace had the lowest. Total soluble carbohydrates and total soluble solids increased initially and then decreased with increasing drought stress, with the Sistani and Mashhad landraces showing the highest values. This study highlights the potential use of Sistani and Mashhad landraces, due to their superior performance and tolerance to water deficit stress, as genetic resources for cultivation in water-limited conditions and also for watermelon genetic improvement programs.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Severe drought produced the largest decline in watermelon leaf relative water content in Mazandaran and Gorgan.
- Taxon
- Watermelon
Citrullus lanatust0 - Material
- Mazandaran and Gorgane0
- Organ / stage
- leavese0
- Treatment
- severe drought stress (40%)e0
- Outcome
- relative water content (RWC)e0
- Direction
- decreasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“drought stress significantly influenced the relative water content (RWC) of watermelon leaves, with the highest decrease observed in severe drought stress (40%) for the Mazandaran and Gorgan landraces”
t0“Watermelon Landraces”
Claim · model-written summary
Proline content rose under severe drought in all landraces, with Sistani highest.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Material
- Sistanie0
- Treatment
- severe drought stresse0
- Outcome
- Proline contente0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Proline content, an important osmolyte, increased significantly in all landraces under severe drought stress, with the Sistani landrace exhibiting the highest accumulation”
t0“Watermelon Landraces”
Claim · model-written summary
Electrolyte leakage increased as drought intensified, especially in Mazandaran and Gorgan.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Material
- Mazandaran and Gorgane0
- Treatment
- drought stresse0
- Outcome
- Electrolyte leakagee0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Electrolyte leakage increased with increasing drought stress, particularly in landraces from humid regions (Mazandaran and Gorgan)”
t0“Watermelon Landraces”
Claim · model-written summary
Water use efficiency fell with drought, while Sistani maintained relatively higher efficiency.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Material
- Sistanie0
- Treatment
- drought stress levelse0
- Outcome
- Water use efficiencye0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Water use efficiency decreased with higher drought stress levels, but the Sistani landrace maintained higher efficiency due to its consistent yield performance”
t0“Watermelon Landraces”
Claim · model-written summary
Antioxidant enzyme activity increased under drought, particularly in Sistani and Mashhad.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Material
- Sistani and Mashhade0
- Treatment
- drought stresse0
- Outcome
- Antioxidant enzyme activitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Antioxidant enzyme activity, including catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione reductase, increased in response to drought stress, especially in landraces from dry regions (Sistani and Mashhad)”
t0“Watermelon Landraces”
Claim · model-written summary
Fruit weight, size and yield per hectare declined with drought; dry-region landraces performed better under severe stress.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- drought stresse0
- Outcome
- fruit weight, size, and yield per hectaree0
- Direction
- declinede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fruit weight, size, and yield per hectare, declined with increasing drought stress, but landraces from dry regions demonstrated better performance under severe stress”
t0“Watermelon Landraces”
Claim · model-written summary
Under severe drought, Sistani had the highest lycopene content.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Material
- Sistanie0
- Treatment
- severe drought stresse0
- Outcome
- lycopene contente0
- Direction
- higheste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under severe drought stress the Sistani landrace exhibited the highest lycopene content”
t0“Watermelon Landraces”
Claim · model-written summary
Under severe drought, Mazandaran had the lowest lycopene content.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Material
- Mazandarane0
- Outcome
- lycopene contente1
- Direction
- loweste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“whereas the Mazandaran landrace had the lowest”
t0“Watermelon Landraces”
e1“Under severe drought stress the Sistani landrace exhibited the highest lycopene content”
Claim · model-written summary
Soluble carbohydrates and solids first rose then fell as drought intensified; Sistani and Mashhad had the highest values.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Material
- Sistani and Mashhade0
- Treatment
- drought stresse0
- Outcome
- Total soluble carbohydrates and total soluble solidse0
- Direction
- increased initially and then decreasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Total soluble carbohydrates and total soluble solids increased initially and then decreased with increasing drought stress, with the Sistani and Mashhad landraces showing the highest values”
t0“Watermelon Landraces”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend Sistani and Mashhad for water-limited cultivation and genetic improvement.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Material
- Sistani and Mashhade0
- Outcome
- genetic resources for cultivation in water-limited conditions and also for watermelon genetic improvement programse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“potential use of Sistani and Mashhad landraces, due to their superior performance and tolerance to water deficit stress, as genetic resources for cultivation in water-limited conditions and also for watermelon genetic improvement programs”
t0“Watermelon Landraces”
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drought · physiology: osmolytes · Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)Results agree
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See all 5 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.