Abstract
Winter cherry or Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an important medicinal plant used in traditional and herbal medicine system. Yet, there is no information available on response of this plant to changing climatic conditions particularly elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Therefore, we conducted an experiment to examine the effect of elevated CO2 concentrations (ECs) on Withania somnifera. The variations in traits of physiological adaptation, net primary productivity, carbon partitioning, morphology, and biomass in response to elevated CO2 concentrations (ambient, 600 and 800 µmol mol−1) during one growth cycle were investigated within the open top chamber (OTC) facility in the foothill of the Himalayas, Dehardun, India. ECs significantly increased photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, soil respiration, net primary productivity and the carbon content of plant tissues (leaf, stem, and root), and soil carbon. Furthermore, ECs significantly enhanced biomass production (root and shoot), although declined night leaf respiration. Overall, it was summarized that photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, leaf, and soil carbon and biomass increased under ECs rendering the physiological adaptation to the plant. Increased net primary productivity might facilitate mitigation effects by sequestering elevated levels of carbon dioxide. We advocate further studies to investigate the effects of ECs on the accumulation of secondary metabolites and health-promoting substances of this as well as other medicinal plants.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adair EC, Reich PB, Tsost JJ, Hobbie SE (2011) Elevated CO2 stimulates grassland soil respiration by increasing carbon inputs rather than by enhancing soil moisture. Glob Change Biol 17:3546–3563
Ainsworth EA, Long SP (2005) What have we learned from 15 years of free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE)—a meta-analytic review of the responses of photosynthesis, canopy properties and plant production to rising CO2. New Phytol 165:351–372
Amthor JS (1997) Plant respiratory responses to elevated CO2 partial pressure. In: Allen LH, Kirkham MB, Olszyk DM, Whitman CE (Eds) Advances in carbon dioxide effects research. Madison: ASA, CSSA and SSSA 35–77 American Society of Agronomy Special Publication (proceedings of 1993 ASA Symposium, Cincinnati, OH)
Amthor JS, Koch GW, Bloom AJ (1992) CO2 Inhibits respiration in leaves of Rumex crispus L. Plant Physiol 98:757–760
Beer C, Reichstein M, Tomelleri E, Ciais P, Jung M, Carvalhais N, Rödenbeck C, Arain MA, Baldocchi D, Bonan GB, Bondeau A, Cescatti A, Lasslop G, Lindroth A, Lomas M, Luyssaert S, Margolis H, Oleson KW, Roupsard O, Veenendaal E, Viovy N, Williams C, Woodward FI, Papale D (2010) Terrestrial gross carbon dioxide uptake: global distribution and covariation with climate. Science 32:834–838
Buckley LB, Nufio CR, Kingsolver JG (2013) Phenotypic clines, energy balances and ecological responses to climate change. J Anim Ecol 83:41–50
Bunn C, Laderach P, Ovalle-Rivera O, Kirschke D (2015) A bitter cup: climate change profile of global production of Arabica and Robusta coffee. Clim Change 129:89–101
Chaturvedi AK, Vashistha RK, Rawat N, Prasad P, Nautiyal MC (2009) Effect of CO2 enrichment on photosynthetic behaviour of Podophyllum Hexandrum, an endangered medicinal herb. J Am Sci 5:113–118
Cheng W, Sims, DA, Luo Y, Johnson DW, Ball JT, Coleman JS (2000) Carbon budgeting in plant-soil mesocosms under elevated CO2: locally missing carbon? Glob Change Biol 6:99–110
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (2014) https://www.cbd.int/climate/intro.shtml. Accessed 3 Mar 2018
Dlugokencky E, Tans P (2017) Trends in atmospheric carbon dioxide. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Earth System Research Laboratory (NOAA/ESRL). http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/. Accessed 3 Mar 2018
Drake BG, Gonzalez-Meler MA, Long SP (1997) More efficient plants: a consequence of rising atmospheric CO2. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 48:609–639
Drake BG, Azcón-Bieto J, Berry JA, Bunce J, Dijkstra P, Farrar J, Koch GW, Gifford R, Gonzàlez-Meler MA, Lambers H et al (1999) Does elevated CO2 inhibit plant mitochondrial respiration in green plants. Plant Cell Environ 22:649–657
Ghasemzadeh A, Jaafar HZE, Rahmat A (2010) Synthesis of phenolics and flavonoids in ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and their effects on photosynthesis rate. Int J Mol Sci 11:4539–4555
Gopalakrishna R, Mathangi JR, Bala G, Ravindranath NH (2011) Climate change and Indian Forest. Curr Sci 101:25–29
Griffin KL, Ball JT, Strain BR (1996) Direct and indirect effects of elevated CO2 on whole-shoot respiration in ponderosa pine seedlings. Tree Physiol 16:33–41
Hamilton JG, Thomas RB, Delucia EH (2001) Direct and indirect effects of elevated CO2 on leaf respiration in a forest ecosystem. Plant Cell Environ 24:975–982
Houghton RA (2007) Balancing the global carbon budget. Annu Rev Earth Planet Sci 35:313–347
Ibrahim MH, Jaafar HZ (2011) Increased carbon dioxide concentration improves the antioxidative properties of the Malaysian herb Kacip Fatimah (Labisia pumila). Molecules 16:6068–6081
Ibrahim MH, Hawa ZE, Jaafar HZ (2012) Impact of elevated carbon dioxide on primary, secondary metabolites and antioxidant responses of Eleais guineensis Jacq. (Oil Palm) seedlings. Molecules 17:5195–5211
Idso SB, Kimball BA, Pettit GR, Garner LC, Backhaus RA (2000) Effects of atmospheric CO2 enrichment on the growth and development of Hymenocallis littoralis (Amaryllidaceae) and the concentrations of several antineoplastic and antiviral constituents of its bulbs. Am J Bot 87:769–773
IPCC (2007) Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change. Summary Report of the working group of IPCC Paris
Keidel L, Kammann C, Grünhage L, Moser G, Müller C (2015) Positive feedback of elevated CO2 on soil respiration in late autumn and winter. Biogeosciences 12:1257–1269
Lin W, Wang D (1998) Effects of elevated CO2 on growth and carbon partitioning in rice. Chin Sci Bull 43:1982–1986
Melillo JM, Mcguire AD, Kicklighter DW, Moore B, Vorosmarty CJ, Schloss AL (1993) Global climate change and terrestrial net primary production. Nature 363:234–240
Mirjalili MH, Moyano E, Bonfill M, Cusido RM, Palazon J (2009) Steroidal lactones from Withania somnifera, an ancient plant for novel medicine. Molecules 14:2373–2393
Morison JIL, Gifford RA (1984) Plant growth and water use with limited water supply in high CO2 concentrations: leaf area, water use, and transpiration. Aust J Plant Physiol 11:361–374
Nowak RS, Ellsworth DS, Smith SD (2004) Functional responses of plants to elevated atmospheric CO2 do photosynthetic and productivity data from FACE experiments support early predictions. New Phytol 162:253–280
Oliveira VF, Zaidan LBP, Braga MR, Aidar MPM, Carvalho MAM (2010) Elevated CO2 atmosphere promotes plant growth and inulin production in the cerrado species Vernonia herbacea. Funct Plant Biol 37:223–231
Parmesan C (2006) Ecological and evolutionary responses to recent climate change. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 37:637–639
Parry ML, Canziani OF, Palutikof JP, van der Linden PJ, Hanson CE (2007) Technical summary Box TS.6. The main projected impacts for regions, in IPCC AR4 WG2 pp 59–63
Patwardhan B, Panse GT, Kulkarni PH (1998) Ashwagandha a review. J Natl Integr Med Assoc 30:7–11
Pendall E, Leavitt SW, Brooks T, Kimball BA, Pinter PJ, Wall GW, LaMorte RL, Wechsung G, Wechsung F, Adamsen F, Matthias AD, Thompson TL (2001) Elevated CO2 stimulates soil respiration in a FACE wheat field. Basic Appl Ecol 2:193–201
Pinelli P, Loreto F (2003) (CO2)–C-12 emission from different metabolic pathways measured in illuminated and darkened C-3 and C-4 leaves at low, atmospheric and elevated CO2 concentration. J Exp Bot 54:1761–1769
Prajapati ND, Purohit SS, Sharma AK, Kumar T (2003) A handbook of medicinal plants: a complete source book. Jodhpur: Agrobios India p 756
Raich JW, Schlesinger WH (1992) The global carbon dioxide flux in soil respiration and its relationship to vegetation and climate. Tellus B Chem Phys Meteorol 44:81–99
Saadi S, Todorovic M, Tanasijevic L, Pereira LS, Pizzigalli C, Lionello P (2015) Climate change and Mediterranean agriculture: impacts on winter wheat and tomato crop evapotranspiration, irrigation requirements and yield. Agric Water Manag 147:103–115
Saravanan S (2014) Gas exchange characteristics in Tectona grandis L. clones under varying concentrations of CO2 levels. J Stress Physiol Biochem 10:122–133
Saravanan S, Karthi S (2014) Effect of elevated CO2 on growth and biochemical changes in Catharanthus roseus- a valuable medicinal herb. World J Pharm Pharm Sci 3:411–422
Sattler R, Rutishauser R (1997) The fundamental relevance of morphology and morphogenesis to plant research. Ann Bot 80:571–582
Singh P, Guleri R, Singh V, Kaur G, Katari H, Singh B, Kaura G, Kaul SC, Wadhwa R, Pati PK (2015) Biotechnological interventions in Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal. Biotechnol Genet Eng Rev 19:1–20
Singh H, Sharma R, Verma A, Kumar M, Kumar S (2016) Can atmospheric CO2 enrichment alter growth dynamics, structure and functioning of medicinal and aromatic plant (Tulsi)? An approach to understand adaptation and mitigation potential of medicinal and aromatic plants in wake of climate change scenario. In: Annual session of the national academy of sciences India, jointly organized by National Academy of Sciences India and Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST), Dehradun, 2–4 Dec 2016, pp 94
Singh H, Savita A, Sharma R, Sinha S, Kumar M, Kumar P, Verma A, Sharma SK (2017) Physiological functioning of Lagerstroemia speciosa L. under heavy roadside traffic: an approach to screen potential species for abatement of urban air pollution. 3 Biotech 7:1–10
Singh H, Sharma R, Savita A, Singh MP, Kumar M, Verma A, Ansari MW, Sharma SK 2018 adaptive physiological response of Parthenium hysterophorus to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration. Ind For 144:1–14
Stuhlfauth T, Fock HP (1990) Effects of whole season CO2 enrichment on the cultivation of a medicinal plant, Digitalis lanata. J Agron Crop Sci 164:168–173
Stuhlfauth T, Klug K, Fock HP (1987) The production of secondary metabolites by Digitalis lanata during CO2 enrichment and water stress. Phytochemistry 26:2735–2739
Stulen I, den Hertog J (1993) Root growth and functioning under atmospheric CO2 enrichment. Plant Ecol 104:99–115
Stutt GW, Eraso I, Rimando AM (2008) Carbon dioxide enrichment enhances growth and flavonoid content of two Scutellaria species. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 133:631–638
Tan ZX, Liu S, Johnston CA, Loveland TR, Tieszen LL, Liu J, Kurtz R (2005) Soil organic carbon dynamics as related to land use history in the northwestern Great Plains. Global Biogeochem Cycles 19:GB3011. https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GB002536
Tan KY, Zhou GS, Ren SX (2013) Response of leaf dark respiration of winter wheat to changes in CO2 concentration and temperature. Chin Sci Bull 58:1795–1800
Taylor G, Ranasinghe S, Bosac C, Gardner SDL, Ferris R (1994) Elevated CO2 and plant growth: cellular mechanisms and responses of whole plants. J Exp Bot 45:1761–1774
Thomas CD, Cameron A, Green RE, Bakkenes M, Beaumont LJ, Collingham YC et al (2004) Extinction risk from climate change. Nature 427:145–148
Thompson AR, Doelling JH, Suttangkakul A, Vierstra RD (2005) Autophagic nutrient recycling in Arabidopsis directed by the ATG8 and ATG12 conjugation pathways. Plant Physiol 138:2097–2110
Tilman D, Lehman C (2001) Human-caused environmental change: impacts on plant diversity and evolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98:5433–5440
Tisserat B (2002) Influence of ultra-high carbon dioxide levels on growth and morphogenesis of Lamiaceae species in soil. J Herbs Spices Med Plants 9:81–89
Urban MC (2015) Accelerating extinction risk from climate change. Science 348:571–573
Vurro E, Bruni R, Bianchi A, Sanità di Toppi L (2009) Elevated CO2 decreases oxidative stress and increases essential oil yield in leaves of Thymus vulgaris grown in a mini-FACE system. Environ Exper Bot 65:99–107
Walkley A, Black IA (1934) An examination of Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method. Soil Sci 37:29–37
Warrier RR, Jayaraj RS, Balu A (2013) Variation in gas exchange characteristics in clones of Eucalyptus сamaldulensis under varying conditions of CO2. J Stress Physiol Biochem 9:333–344
Wu J, Hong J, Wang X, Sun J, Lu X, Fan J, Cai Y (2013) Biomass partitioning and its relationship with the environmental factors at the alpine steppe in northern Tibet. PLoS One 8:12
Zari MP (2014) Ecosystem services analysis in response to biodiversity loss caused by the built environment. Surv Perspect Integr Environ Soc 7:1–14
Ziska LR (2001) Changes in competitive ability between a C4 crop and a C3 weed with elevated carbon dioxide. Weed Sci 49:622–627
Ziska LR (2002) Influence of rising atmospheric CO2 since 1900 on early growth and photosynthetic response of a noxious invasive weed, Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense). Funt Plant Biol 29:1387–1392
Ziska LH, Panicker S, Wojno HL (2008) Recent and projected increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide and the potential impacts on growth and alkaloid production in wild poppy (Papaver setigerum DC). Clim Change 91:395–403
Zobayed SMA, Murch SJ, Rupasinghe HPV, Saxena PK (2003) Elevated carbon supply altered hypericin and hyperforin contents of St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) grown in bioreactors. Plant Cell Tissue Organ Cult 75:143–149
Zou DH, Gao KS (2005) Regulation of gamete release in the economic brown seaweed Hizikia fusiformis (Phaeophyta). Biotechnol Lett 27:915–918
Acknowledgements
The authors are very thankful to the Director, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun for providing facility to carry out the proposed study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest in the publication.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sharma, R., Singh, H., Kaushik, M. et al. Adaptive physiological response, carbon partitioning, and biomass production of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal grown under elevated CO2 regimes. 3 Biotech 8, 267 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-018-1292-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-018-1292-1