Assessing physiological traits responses of Panicum turgidum under desert environments: a prospect for desert...

The Present study aims to examine the physiological adaptability of Panicum turgidum growing in three different habitats: sand dunes, sandy plains, and saline areas. To assess how well plants adapted to rising salinity, physicochemical features of the soil, photosynthetic pigments, biochemical traits, and ionic contents were examined in root and stem tissues of P. turgidum. Five subsites were selected from each habitat, and the quadrat method was applied for vegetative sampling. Outcomes revealed that electrical conductivity (41.3 ± 0.3 dS m⁻¹) and concentrations of Na⁺ (4967.9 ± 0.2 mg L⁻¹) and Cl⁻ (2431.7 ± 0.3 mg L⁻¹) increased from dunes to saline environments, indicating a distinct salinity gradient in the soil. However, under saline circumstances, chlorophyll a and b dramatically decreased, suggesting stress effects on photosynthesis. Osmolytes and stress-related metabolites, such as proline (294.8 ± 1.13 µg g^- 1 FW), free amino acids (1593.7 ± 2.83 µg g^- 1 FW), soluble proteins (1706.5 ± 1.07 µg g^- 1 FW), and total soluble sugars (28.71 ± 0.44 mg g^- 1 DW), gradually increased in saline environments. Antioxidants, including flavonoids (3.846 ± 0.04 mg g^- 1 DW) and phenolics (11.35 ± 0.01 µg g^- 1 FW), also showed greater accumulation in saline conditions, indicating improved protection against oxidative stress. The ion accumulation showed higher Na⁺ and Cl⁻ buildup in root and stem tissues, together with controlled levels of K⁺ and Ca²⁺. These findings indicate that P. turgidum has coordinated physiological responses that may help its survival in saline desert environments, including osmotic adjustment, antioxidant resistance, and ion control. These results suggest that P. turgidum may useful in future studies associated with saline land restoration and desert surroundings.