The Effects of Waterlogging on the Growth and Flower Components of Chrysanthemum indicum

抄録

Waterlogging changes the soil environment. The excessive amount of water in soil inhibits oxygen supply to the roots, by developing anoxic conditions at the depth of a few centimetres from the soil surface. Lack of oxygen slows the growth of plants, occasionally leading to the death of the whole plant. This study investigated the individual and combined effects of waterlogging on Chrysanthemum indicum (C. indicum) growth and its flower components, using a pot experiment in a greenhouse with four different waterlogging stress treatments (ws): 1, 3, 5 and 10 days waterlogging stress (ws 1, 3, 5 and 10d) and normal watering: control (ck). For ws 5d and 10d, both the above-ground dry weight and that of the roots decreased at DO values below 5.0 mg L^-1. At the beginning of the waterlogging treatment, the growth of ws 5d and 10d slowed down and finally, after two weeks, the latter completely died. Moreover, the flowering of the ws 5d was delayed due to waterlogging, making it impossible to harvest the flowers. As the period of waterlogging became longer, the dry weight of the flowers decreased. Also, that of the flowers of ws 3d significantly decreased by 80% compared with ck. Similarly, the components of the flowers became remarkably less for ws 3d. Finally, this study showed that the dry weight and flower components significantly decreased under waterlogging stress for 3 days or more.