Root responses of seven perennial forage species to severe drought

International audienceFuture climate scenarios suggest an increase in intensity and frequency of severe droughts. Maintaining grassland services depends on plant community resistance. When total leaf senescence is reached, basal meristems are known to be survival organs, by accumulating carbohydrates, which play important roles for osmotic adjustment (sucrose especially) and available carbon for re-growth ability (fructans). Fructans with high degree of polymerization (HDP > 5) could prevent cell damages (Vereyken et al. 2003). We would like to know if roots may also survive under severe soil drought. First, we aimed to compare the response of basal meristems and root apices during severe drought in order to determine the role of roots in resistance and survival strategies of seven forage species