Morphological and physiological variations of Cyclocarya paliurus under different soil water capacities

Soil water capacity (SWC) is a very important factor for the artificial cultivation and production of seedling in Cyclocarya paliurus. To understand SWC requirement for seedling cultivation and to investigate morphological and physiological changes under different SWCs, a 100-day SWC treatment was conducted during artificial cultivation; four treatments were 10-20 wt% SWC (W1), 30-40 wt% SWC (W2), 50-60 wt% SWC (W3), and 70-80 wt% SWC (W4). The result showed that W3 was suitable for seedling cultivation. Compared with W3, growth biomass decreased and water content increased at W1, W2 and W4; K, Ca, and Mg content increased under W1, while Na content increased under W4; SOD, PPO, POD, and CAT activity in leaf significantly increased under W1 and W4, of which SOD activity was the highest, and MDA content reached its maximum under W1. W1 and W4 had negative effects on seedling growth, and seedlings adapt to unfavorable water condition by morphological and physiological responses. Our research would be useful for artificial cultivation and management of Cyclocarya species.