Sorghum bicolor prioritizes the recovery of its photosynthetic activity when re-watered after severe drought stress, while manages to preserve it under elevated CO2 and drought

Abstract

Understanding plant response and resilience to drought under a high CO2 environment will be crucial to ensure crop production in the future. Sorghum bicolor is a C4 plant that resists drought better than other crops, which could make it a good alternative to be grown under future climatic conditions. Here, we analyse the physiological response of sorghum under 350 ppm CO2 (aCO2) or 700 ppm CO2 (eCO2) with drought (D) or without drought (WW) for 9, 13 and 16 days; as well as its resilience under long (R1: 9D + 7R) or short (R2: 13D + 3R) recovery treatments. Sorghum showed elevated rates of gs under aCO2 and WW, which resulted in a significant decrease in Ψw, gs, E, ΦPSII, Fv’/Fm′ when exposed to drought. Consequently, A was greatly decreased. When re-watered, both re-watering treatments prioritized A recovery by restoring photosynthetic machinery under aCO2, whereas under eCO2 plants required little recovery since plant were hardly affected by drought. However, sorghum growth rate for aboveground organs did not reach control values, indicating a slower long-term recovery. Overall, these results provide information about the resilience of sorghum and its utility as a suitable candidate for the drought episodes of the future.