Comparative Research on Drought Resistance of 8 Common Garden Ground Cover Plants in South China

The drought resistant capability of 8 common garden ground cover plants in south China were studied based on the water-controlled pot experiment.The effect of drought stress on permanent wilting rate,foliage water-losing rate,relative water content,electric conductivity,soluble sugar,proline and malondialdehyde(MDA) of those plants were measured.Results showed that:(1)The plant having the lower permanent wilting rate and the higher foliage water-losing rate had the stronger drought-resistant capability,such as Schefflera arboricola and Syngonium podophyllum.(2)With drought stress going on,the relative water content of these plants decreased obviously.But the relative electric conductivity and MDA content increased at the different degree.The content of soluble sugar and proline had different tendencies.(3)Based on the comprehensive analysis with subordinate function,the drought resistant capability of woody and herbaceous plants were ranked as:Schefflera arboricola(Hayata) Merr.Ixora coccinea L.Excoecaria cochinchinensis Lour..Hymenocallis americana(Mill.) Roem.Tradescantia spathacea Sw 'Compacta'Syngonium podophyllum Schott.'White Butterfly'Zephyranthes candida(Lindl.) Herb.Alternanthera dentata(Moench) Stuchlik 'Ruliginosa'.According to the comprehensive analysis of the drought resistance of these plants,it was indicated that the effective indexes that could reflect the drought resistance of garden ground cover plants were:the permanent wilting rate,foliage water-losing rate,relative water content,electric conductivity and MDA.