Drought stress is a crucial environmental factor for plant survival, and the development of drought-tolerant varieties is one of the goals of all cultivated plant researchers. In particular, the seedling stage is important for plant growth and development and is also the period most affected by drought. We investigated the initial response to drought stress in seedlings of two species of poplar (Populus alba × Populus davidiana and Populus davidiana) that phenotypically differed in drought tolerance. Comparative analysis in terms of shoot height, photosynthetic pigments, soluble sugars, antioxidants, proline, soluble protein, malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) contents was used to measure the physiological and biochemical characteristics of drought stress, and drought-related genetic changes were also examined. Significant changes in shoot height, chlorophyll fluorescence, chlorophyll contents, MDA and H₂O₂ appeared more adversely in Populus alba × Populus davidiana than in Populus davidiana, whereas reductions in soluble protein, carotenoids, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), which are indicators related to drought tolerance, appeared less in Populus davidiana. The change pattern of genes related to electron transfer and H₂O₂ production were almost similar in the two species, and among the drought response genes, lipid transfer protein 3 (LTP3) was greatly upregulated only in Populus davidiana. In the initial response to drought stress of both poplars, Populus davidiana, which had good antioxidant maintenance, showed better drought tolerance than Populus alba × Populus davidiana, which had a faster response to osmotic balance control.

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Water deficit is a critical factor obstructing the growth and survival of plant. Therefore, researchers have been trying to develop drought-resistant varieties. To find indicators of drought stress-tolerance of cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), we analyzed the response of cypress seedlings from six provenances of Korea (Jeju, Suwon, Seoul, Seongnam, Yong-in, and Osan) to drought stress. Additionally, the genetic diversity of C. obtusa from the six provenances were determined using microsatellite markers. We confirmed that populations from Suwon and Seongnam were relatively separated from other populations through genetic distance and cluster analysis. We examined their physiologic and metabolic responses after drought treatment for five weeks. Almost all of the cypress seedlings showed a reduced shoot growth rate under drought treatment compared to controls. In addition, temperature of drought treated cypress seedling leaves was 1.2-2℃ higher than that of the controls. Almost all of the drought stress-treated cypress showed increased carbon metabolite contents and pigments. In particular, the cypress seedlings from Osan showed the highest increase in all of the measured metabolites. Therefore, it is suggested that the seedlings from Osan are susceptible to drought stress. Conversely, the seedlings from Jeju, Suwon, and Yong-in showed a lower sensitivity to drought treatment. These results indicate that the cypress trees from the six provenances have a different response to drought stress. In addition, it is confirmed that previously identified indicators of drought stress, especially those that measure total soluble sugar, carotenoid, and H₂O₂, can be used in the selection of drought resistance cypress. These findings may useful in studies concerned with the metabolic and physiological responses of young cypress to drought.

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