Exploring <i>Helianthus</i> Species for Resilience to Drought During the Critical Reproductive Stage
Drought stress during the reproductive phase of sunflower can significantly reduce achene yield by affecting inflorescence size, nectar quality, and pollinator activity. This study aimed to analyze the morphological characteristics of the reproductive region, quantify nectar sugar components, and ev...
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2025-02-01
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| author | Jelena Jocković Nada Grahovac Željko Milovac Milan Jocković Siniša Jocić Ana Marjanović Jeromela Sandra Cvejić |
| author_facet | Jelena Jocković Nada Grahovac Željko Milovac Milan Jocković Siniša Jocić Ana Marjanović Jeromela Sandra Cvejić |
| author_sort | Jelena Jocković |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drought stress during the reproductive phase of sunflower can significantly reduce achene yield by affecting inflorescence size, nectar quality, and pollinator activity. This study aimed to analyze the morphological characteristics of the reproductive region, quantify nectar sugar components, and evaluate pollinator presence and pollination success in wild <i>Helianthus</i> species as an important genetic resource for breeding cultivated sunflowers under drought conditions. Morphological investigations were conducted during the flowering and achene development phases with a stereo microscope and calipers. Nectar sugar concentrations were analyzed via HPLC, and pollinator presence was monitored twice a week for two months. This study highlights the correlation between evaluated traits, emphasizing their importance as yield indicators. Significant differences were observed in reproductive characters, nectar quality, and pollination success among the species. <i>Helianthus annuus</i> and <i>Helianthus argophyllus</i> exhibited superior reproductive performance with high nectar sugar concentrations and larger inflorescences, enabling successful pollination and higher achene yield. In contrast, <i>Helianthus debilis</i> demonstrated lower reproductive efficiency, with a higher percentage of empty achenes. These findings provide valuable insights for breeding programs, highlighting <i>H. argophyllus</i> and <i>H. annuus</i> as promising genetic resources for developing sunflower genotypes with increased yield and improved floral traits adapted to drought conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-23bca60eef3c4c9fbcadb31e6ee9cabf |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-23bca60eef3c4c9fbcadb31e6ee9cabf2025-08-20T02:03:32ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-02-0114463110.3390/plants14040631Exploring <i>Helianthus</i> Species for Resilience to Drought During the Critical Reproductive StageJelena Jocković0Nada Grahovac1Željko Milovac2Milan Jocković3Siniša Jocić4Ana Marjanović Jeromela5Sandra Cvejić6Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21000 Novi Sad, SerbiaInstitute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21000 Novi Sad, SerbiaInstitute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21000 Novi Sad, SerbiaInstitute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21000 Novi Sad, SerbiaInstitute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21000 Novi Sad, SerbiaInstitute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21000 Novi Sad, SerbiaInstitute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21000 Novi Sad, SerbiaDrought stress during the reproductive phase of sunflower can significantly reduce achene yield by affecting inflorescence size, nectar quality, and pollinator activity. This study aimed to analyze the morphological characteristics of the reproductive region, quantify nectar sugar components, and evaluate pollinator presence and pollination success in wild <i>Helianthus</i> species as an important genetic resource for breeding cultivated sunflowers under drought conditions. Morphological investigations were conducted during the flowering and achene development phases with a stereo microscope and calipers. Nectar sugar concentrations were analyzed via HPLC, and pollinator presence was monitored twice a week for two months. This study highlights the correlation between evaluated traits, emphasizing their importance as yield indicators. Significant differences were observed in reproductive characters, nectar quality, and pollination success among the species. <i>Helianthus annuus</i> and <i>Helianthus argophyllus</i> exhibited superior reproductive performance with high nectar sugar concentrations and larger inflorescences, enabling successful pollination and higher achene yield. In contrast, <i>Helianthus debilis</i> demonstrated lower reproductive efficiency, with a higher percentage of empty achenes. These findings provide valuable insights for breeding programs, highlighting <i>H. argophyllus</i> and <i>H. annuus</i> as promising genetic resources for developing sunflower genotypes with increased yield and improved floral traits adapted to drought conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/4/631wild sunflowerinflorescencenectarpollinatorsyield |
| spellingShingle | Jelena Jocković Nada Grahovac Željko Milovac Milan Jocković Siniša Jocić Ana Marjanović Jeromela Sandra Cvejić Exploring <i>Helianthus</i> Species for Resilience to Drought During the Critical Reproductive Stage Plants wild sunflower inflorescence nectar pollinators yield |
| title | Exploring <i>Helianthus</i> Species for Resilience to Drought During the Critical Reproductive Stage |
| title_full | Exploring <i>Helianthus</i> Species for Resilience to Drought During the Critical Reproductive Stage |
| title_fullStr | Exploring <i>Helianthus</i> Species for Resilience to Drought During the Critical Reproductive Stage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring <i>Helianthus</i> Species for Resilience to Drought During the Critical Reproductive Stage |
| title_short | Exploring <i>Helianthus</i> Species for Resilience to Drought During the Critical Reproductive Stage |
| title_sort | exploring i helianthus i species for resilience to drought during the critical reproductive stage |
| topic | wild sunflower inflorescence nectar pollinators yield |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/4/631 |
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